Kagemane Complete
by Anbu-Dave
Summary: Shikamaru makes a single, different choice at the beginning of the chunin exams. With it he makes a mortal enemy of Orochimaru and must try to outmaneuver the sanin. Adventure/humor/romance.
1. Chapter 1: Never Challenged

Kagemane Complete

Chapter 1: Never Challenged

Shikamaru sighed and looked back at Ino. "What was that?" He asked, his voice drawling lazily. She had been saying something but like a mosquito in his ear he hadn't really paid attention. His hands fell to his sides and he pushed them in his pockets. As he watched emotions play across her face comically he spared one last glance at the clouds above him and assumed the scowl he normally wore. Clouds were the Rorschach of the skies. Completely interpretive and peaceful. While he stared up into the sky the thousands of things bouncing around inside his skull gradually faded until there was only the clouds and what they looked like. Occasionally his mind threw meaningless chatter at the sky, such as how he could determine the distance from the bottom of a cloud to the ground but they faded quickly.

Ino was the antithesis of this exercise in mental stability. As the gears in his mind began turning again, filling his mind with a constant drone he stared at Ino and realized that she was a perfect mascot for the reason he wanted to stare at the clouds in the first place.

He just wanted a little quiet.

He sighed again, if only there was an exercise that quieted the boisterous kunoichi.

"I said that Asuma-sensai has decided to let us go to the exams. Kakashi-sama is letting his team try too."

As she got all this out his mind went through a list of possible outcomes of trying to get Hinata on his team. She was so much quieter but it would have taken someone with the social skills of your average garden snake to not notice that she had an almost debilitating crush on Naruto. Given that she obviously enjoyed his boisterous manner and his annoying habit of never giving up, despite it being a better choice sometimes, he doubted that he would be successful in capturing her attention professionally.

If Naruto never got the hint and if she never got the nerve it was likely she would be married to the Inuzaka. No...Hinata would be impossible, Sakura like Ino was smitten with the Uchiha. It seemed odd to him that people would pursue other people romantically that made the worst matches. Sakura and Ino were both highly emotional and could be very warm people. The closest he had ever seen Sasuke get to real emotion was while explaining their mission in Wave Country.

He looked up and saw Ino staring at him expectantly. "That sounds troublesome." He said, meaning it.

She rolled her eyes and spat back. "You think everything is troublesome. Don't you see? We could all be Chunin!" He wondered for a moment if he shouldn't keep his reasons for thinking the way he did away from her and dismissed it.

"Less than two percent of first year genin make chunin. The percentage goes up to seven percent for second years then a little less than fifty percent for third years. It would be less troublesome to just get it done on the first try. That is more likely in the third year." He didn't mention that seventy percent of fith year attempts resulted in either lifetime genin or a change of vocation.

"I don't care about statistics." She said, but without her usual fire. It was his turn to roll his eyes.

"I'm assuming Asuma-sensai wanted to meet with us to discuss it?" He said, glancing back at the clouds longingly. A pear was slowly evolving into a mushroom.

"At his house." She said, a little nonplussed. Her normally fiery eyes were a little more circumspect now and while he didn't enjoy shoving reality down her throat, the quiet was welcome. "Do you know where Chouji is?" She asked as they began walking towards their sensei's residence.

"With his mother, he'll already be told I think." She glared at hole in his cheek but he refused to look at her.

"How the hell would you know?" He shrugged, not wanting to go through the explanation. He heard her mouth shut with a click and they made their way through Konoha until they were in front of the Sarutobi compound.

The Hokage had been the first Sarutobi to rise above chunin and had done well for himself but Asuma had contributed much as well and the estate was well manicured and aesthetically pleasing. A bamboo grove sat at the far end of an immaculate rock garden and the gentle thunk thunk thunk of a bamboo cup filling and spilling was calming.

The entire compound was surrounded by ten foot walls hidden behind evenly spaced fig trees. The main house was used for entertaining guests and they had only seen it a few times. Most of their guild palavar was done at Asuma's private residence just to the south of the main building and next to a stream. He settled himself on his favorite pillow and stared at the empty game board for a while until he lost interest in playing against himself.

Not long after Asuma announced himself in a puff of cigarette smoke. "Ohayo, Ino-chan, Shiki-chan." Shikamaru wrinkled his nose at his nickname, unable to stop himself. If Asuma knew that it bothered him as much as it did he'd use it more often. He was constantly trying to get a rise out of the "laziest" ninja.

He continued on in a light tone, "We'll wait for Chouji, he should be along in a few minutes. Care for a game?" He asked, eying Shikamaru. Ino harrumphed grumpily and Shikamaru sighed, knowing that he had angered Ino yet again. He had classified her as a social minefield early on in the academy. It was impossible to know where to step and almost everything set her off.

"Ok." He said simply.

Twenty minutes later Asuma called a halt to the rout as Chouji strolled up the crushed limestone path, a bag of chips in one hand.

As Asuma-sensei spelled out the "rules" for the chuunin exam Shikamaru listened with only half an ear. The real explanation was in what wasn't being said.

That it was being held in Konoha greatly improved their chances of surviving, if not passing. The percentages he had quoted to Ino had been from first-time attempts at the exam. If he were to take it this year where he was afforded some bit of safety and advantage by it being held in Konoha his chances of passing the first time were still abysmally low but next year would jump to almost twenty five percent. If he was an average ninja, and he planned on being one...he did a quick bit of math in his head...in three years with this failure under his belt he would be twenty percent more likely to survive and twelve percent more likely to pass, bumping him up to almost two thirds probability.

_I should have been a tailor_. He thought acidly. Still, it was nice to do something familiar and he as Asuma finished his explanation Shikamaru finished their game in his head. He would win in four moves, maybe as few as three if Asuma-sensei wasn't paying attention.

When Asuma finished he waited for their collective response. Chouji looked at him in particular and Shikamaru knew that they'd all choose to do the exam. While he was not seen as the leader to Ino, she generally went with his implied direction.

Asuma-sensei looked at the group of them, "So what do you think?" Chouji was waiting for him to speak and Ino was pointedly ignoring him.

"Yeah, ok." Was all he said and Chouji returned to eating after a positive grunt.

Ino took the least dignified way out, "I have to go, I know that billboard brow is going to try with her team."

Asuma looked perplexed for a moment and then grinned broadly, his cigarette dangling from the corner of his mouth precariously. "Great! I'll make the preparations."

It wasn't till the three of them were alone that they spoke again, Chouji first. "I didn't think you'd go for this, Shikamaru."Chouji, despite his appearances, was not stupid by any stretch of the imagination. He understood what his strengths were but like any good ninja he knew very intimately what his weaknesses were as well.

While he was not a strategist, he was more than capable of thinking his way out of problems. Extrapolative thought as well as "thinking around corners" as he liked to call it, was not his strength. It was Shikamaru's. Shikamaru couldn't crush a tree trunk with his bare hands so it was an even trade off he thought. As such, he'd appointed Shikamaru their unofficial leader, he just didn't have the courage to tell Ino.

"Makes more sense to participate when it's at least a little safer." He explained and Chouji nodded opening a fresh bag of chips, barbeque this time.

* * *

They passed the next week in their normal way, Shikamaru trouncing Asuma-sensei in Go and Shogi, practicing a few jutsus until he began to sweat, Ino carrying on about Sasuke until they all felt like rupturing their own eardrums. Chouji practiced his meatball tank as well as a few enlargement bloodlimits. To an outsider it looked as though their sensei was not pushing them when in fact Asuma was just as influenced by Shikamaru's practices as they all were.

The day of the test found the rookie teams all gathered together. More for safety than anything else. _These genin aren't happy to see us._ He thought, surveying the crowd.

Rock Lee had just broken up a fight with surprising speed and for once Sasuke looked as though he didn't want to have anything to do with the elder genin.

A silver haired shinobi who's name he didn't catch began showing them informational cards regarding the people involved in the test. The cards were as cryptic as helpful. A few people were completely blank showing only a mission list. One that Sasuke had singled out, Gaara of the Sand was known only for never being injured.

Shikamaru paused at this. He'd never been injured either but he'd yet to complete an A-class mission as well. He shrugged, maybe the guy was just a decent planner. He did little but follow the group, happy to have little to decide, as they exposed the chuunin proctors and climbed to the third floor.

The test itself wasn't bad, he actually had a rather decent nap after he had finished writing Chouji's answers with his shadow possession technique. He already knew that Ino had the problem licked with her own blood line technique. He didn't wake up until he heard Naruto shouting. He lifted his head sleepily and saw the idiot on top of his desk shouting at the proctor.

Shikamaru rubbed his eyes and yawned, stretching lazily. As such he missed the tenth question but it wouldn't have mattered, the impossible task was not exactly a secret technique of torture. Konohagakure had developed it under the fourth's reign and it was still employed, prior to any physical methods of persuasion.

He had answered eight of the ten questions correctly on both their tests and picked different ones to get wrong on purpose. Getting branded as an overachiever had it's own list of hassles associated with it but he didn't want to be mistaken for an idiot who couldn't disguise mutual cheating either. Average was good.

The second proctor's entrance was far more grand then it needed to be, the window blowing open and a banner unfurling in front of the class. As the Kunoichi introduced herself he tried to remember an Anko from the jonin roster but couldn't. Likely she had been an anbu for the last few years. Anbu were stricken from the jonin roster in order to protect their identities.

Anbu were primarily made up of loners. No family, few friends. It made the transition from loving your job to living your job that much easier.

He squashed the physical attraction he felt towards her. It was mostly her outfit and it left little to the imagination. This was, he realized after a moment, designed to distract. A shinobi used every weapon they possessed, her form was likely not the most powerful of her weapons but it wasn't a blunted kunai either. _So a recently anbu loner, efficient and cold in the use of her body._ Likely the next test was to be her reintroduction into Konohagakure life after her stint in the shadowy anbu. _Probably try to prove something._

Kunoichi had a much higher attrition rate than males who were already high to begin with. Accomplished kunoichi generally had a large chip on their shoulder and almost never married another ninja.

"...tomorrow at training area nineteen." She finished. He yawned again and followed Chouji out of the classroom.

* * *

The next day the twenty two teams listened to Anko's explanation and he grew more and more annoyed. He understood that such things were common in chuunin exams but it did not make him enjoy it any more than he did. Which was to say not at all.

He couldn't remember any figures about half completing an exam resulting in higher percentages than nothing at all. The relevant information had been written in absolutes. Finished, survived, passed. He sighed and resigned himself to participating in this as well. With Ino in their group it wasn't likely that they'd be able to focus on stealth, not for long at any rate. Still, they had to play to their strengths which, in this case, was doing as little as possible to the most effect.

He took her to the side as the teams began filing into the tent to receive their scrolls. "Mindswap one of those sound nin. The girl." He had seen her possess male ninja before and to his eyes they always walked like females. It wouldn't do to be found out for a bit of a strut.

She smiled maliciously and made the appropriate hand symbols. He watched out of the corner of his eye as the kunoichi stiffened and then followed the other two ninjas into the tent.

* * *

Ino generally didn't root around in people's minds much. Mostly because the only people she had mindswapped with were her peers. Friends in the case of her team. Things like that were rude though given half a chance she wouldn't mind looking through one of Sasuke's memories and finding a post-shower mirror glance.

As she was currently inhabiting a competitor and potential enemy she felt no such reservations as she casually opened memory after memory like a person ransacking a house. It didn't take much effort to move the body she was in and the rest of her time was spent rifling through the kunoichi's head.

The shock she felt at what she found played out over the sound-nin's face and she hastily retreated out of the mind, throwing herself back into her own body.

"Shiki...maru." She said, gasping for breath in her panic. "Something's wrong..."

He heard a startled yelp from inside the tent and shoved Ino onto her back, laying down next to her. He pointed up at the clouds and began a monologue that he hoped sounded at least a little convincing. "...strata-cumulous in the upper..."

Chouji is what sold it though, he looked startled as the sound-kunoichi barged out of the tent, a hot flush in her cheeks and murder in her eyes. He even stopped chewing for a moment while she cast about looking for the culprit. _Probably knows that's a Konoha bloodline_.

His mind clicked over her words over and over again. They couldn't discuss it now, and as another part of his mind counted the seconds away until Ino would be able to stand again, the majority of it focused on that. _Wrong with the jutsu? Wrong with the kunoichi...the exam...the scrolls?_

He hated not having at least enough information to form several hypothesis so he tried to actually stare at the clouds while the other teams filed in and out of the tent. He was nearing the end of his count when their team number was called and he stood. He offered her his hand as if he were just being nice but he knew, from practicing with her that she would show the strain if he didn't help her.

She tried to speak under her breath but he shushed her by squeezing her hand. Together the three walked in and collected their earth scroll and tried to keep Chouji from asking too many questions. He didn't know what they had done but he could tell that something was wrong.

As they split up to enter the training area from different points he finally relaxed enough to ask her about it. It came out in a rush that he asked her to repeat. "They're not here for the exam." She said, calming slightly now that it was out, she felt like she had almost exploded with the knowledge. She continued on after he offered her a sip from his canteen. "I couldn't see who they're after but that's why they've come, to kill someone in the chunin exam."

He thought about this for a moment. The only people participating in the chuunin exam were of course, genin. It was unlikely that any of the genin present had angered anyone outside of their respective villages enough to warrant an assassination attempt but he didn't doubt her words.

Of the genin assembled, according to the cards that had been shown them by the silver-haired genin, only two teams had completed anything higher than a B-class mission. The sand-nin team led by the eerie Gaara and of course the Konohagakure team of Sasuke, Sakura and Naruto. If any had made enemies in their current missions it would be those two groups. He felt little loyalty to the sand shinobi but it would be a dereliction of duty to not inform at least the proctor.

"Anything else?" He asked, his voice not betraying the tension he felt.

"Just their leader's name. Oorochimaru-sama she thinks of him as." She also began to detail the teams fighting attributes but he was hardly listening now, going over the list of crimes that the former Leaf-nin had perpetrated. He was also one of the three sanin, trained by the third hokage himself.

He felt his thoughts being sidetracked as she continued to explain their fighting styles. "Just...shut up for a minute." He said, not really putting any heat into the comment. He was too busy with the implications of an s-class missing nin having a hand in their exam to notice that for once, Ino really did shut up.

They were still standing outside the entrance to the training area. It was not a matter of deciding to go in or not, he was trying to figure out Oorochimaru's intent. He had several theories at present but nothing he could explore further without getting more information on the missing nin.

"Chouji, inform the closest proctor that our team forfeits and then demand to be taken to that Anko lady. She's in charge of the test and she should be told. Tell her that the Hokage has summoned her and that Ibiki guy to his office."

"You can't speak for the hokage!" Ino began, almost immediately.

"He'll summon them." He said, brushing off the comment.

"She said there wasn't any backing out of this test, Shikamaru." Chouji added.

"You'll think of something." Shikamaru gave him a sparse smile and rubbed his temples before turning back to the kunoichi. "Ino, head to your clan and inform your father that the Hokage has requested his team as well as the Inouzuka and Hyuuga clan heads to meet at his office within the hour." He glared at the ground trying to find another flaw in his plan to stamp out.

"My dad's on a mission." Chouji said after a moment.

"That's..." Shikamaru started. He squeezed his eyes shut and rubbed his temples harder. He was starting to get a headache. _Definitely should have been a tailor_. "...that's fine. Time is...pretty important. Get to them as fast as you can. Then meet at the hokage's office." He turned and pointed at Ino, "You especially, if you can't find them in an hour, come anyways." For once she didn't glare at his finger, only nodded, looking slightly aggravated.

With the last of his preparations made he made decent time to the Hokage's office. He stared at the two chunin guarding the Hokage's door and sighed. They didn't look at all like letting him in. He stepped a bit closer, closing the gap between them. "I need to see the Hokage." He said, his voice never rising above it's lazy drawl.

"Aren't you supposed to be taking a test?" The one with a scar across his face asked, eyeing him up and down.

Shikamaru shrugged. "It's kinda about that." They looked at each other and he calculated the time it would take to explain to them to the extent that they would allow him entrance as opposed to just subduing them. He looked up at the ceiling tiles. "They all wonder why I like clouds." He said, mistily.

As the two chuunin looked upward reflexively he pulled his hands from his pockets and made the necessary symbols. "Kagemane no jutsu." He said in a bored tone and watch as his shadow lanced out to meld with theirs. In the darkened hallway it was hardly fair but he didn't really care about fair.

He stuffed his hands back in his pockets and watch as the two chunin did the same, their eyes rolling wildly in their heads, then he simply walked forward and opened the door to the Hokage's office, barely noticing that as he walked through he passed between them and then walked neatly into the far wall. Not enough to harm them but likely enough to annoy them. He kept walking forward and heard the shuffling scrape as they continued trying to walk through the wall.

The Hokage was looking at him with a chagrined but amused expression. "Hokage, Orochimaru has infiltrated the chunin exam." With that he released the Kagemane and didn't turn as he heard thudding footfalls behind him.

The hokage raised an old hand and stopped the two chuunin. "It's alright, close the door." The two chunin grumbled at the dismissal but did as they were commanded. "How do you know this, Shikamaru?"

Shikamaru related Ino's experience to the Hokage. Shikamaru was surprised the Hokage hadn't called him on using the technique prior to the test's actual start but the old man didn't bat an eye as he explained.

Sarutobi grumped something a bit louder and the doors opened. "Send for Anko." One of the chuunin's bowed and left, the other stayed at the doorway, waiting for further instruction. The old man chewed on his pipe stem in contemplation. "Orochimaru wasn't on the oto team though?" He peered at Shikamaru, barely tilting the brim of his hat enough to lock eyes with the genin.

"Nope. Ino said they didn't know where he was and it was that way on purpose." The Hokage nodded, looking even older than when Shikamaru had first entered. He drummed his fingers for a minute more before Anko burst through the door.

"I'm in the middle of proctoring your exam, Hokage-sama. I told you I didn't want to do it in the first place but you're not going to get a very good..." She trailed off as she caught his eye. He spoke just as her mouth opened to ask him what was wrong.

"Orochimaru is either in the exam or has placed a team there." Anko, for all that Shikamaru had pegged her as the typical rough and tumble kunoichi, went pale. _Personal experience with him?_ He thought, but it was only a guess. Her mouth seemed to work before her mind did.

"They're in there with him?" Chouji filed into the office behind Anko and gave a sheepish smile to Shikamaru. For once, the bag of chips was gone.

"It would appear so." The Hokage said, calmly.

Shikamaru spoke quickly while Anko was still stunned. Once she got going again he had no doubt that like every other woman in his life, she'd dominate the conversation. "You trained Orochimaru, Hokage-sama. What are his goals?"

The Hokage sucked on his pipe and exhaled a small stream of smoke. "The destruction of Konoha, me as well but one can't happen without the other. He's also attempting to learn every jutsu in the world and wants to become immortal."

Shikamaru snorted. _Is that all?_ Even in his head the thought dripped with sarcasm.

Anko seemed to regain a bit of control and began speaking quickly.

Shikamaru crouched in the corner and placed his hands in the eternity pose his father had taught him. _"Everything is a circle, Shikamaru, we just enter the circle at different places."_ It was a romantic notion but regardless, it helped him concentrate. He barely noticed as Ino arrived with his father, her father and both the Inuzuka and Hyuuga clan heads. The Hokage's surprise escaped him as he poured theories into the molds of what he knew.

_Destruction...possibly...doesn't account for assassination squad, none have the training or power to contend with the Hokage even if they got him alone. Given his objectives that we know, not after sand nin... Likely a two or even three objective mission. Kill genin...who? Ninjutsu knowledge...all learned, road to immortality. _That gave him pause and he explored that avenue_. If he wants all the ninjutsu...Sasuke is the last of his clan. Jutsu that's passed down?_ That was a cold avenue. The Uchiha weren't known for special jutsus as much as just knowing a lot of them. _Kakashi knows a lot too. Competent, loyal ninja. Sasuke, angsty genin._ His eyes closed partly. _The sharingan...copy-cat ninja._

"He's after Uchiha Sasuke." He spoke loudly, interrupting whatever they had been talking about. He hadn't been paying attention but knew they had been arguing about something. Even Ino looked at him in perplexity. The Hokage only puffed on his pipe and waited for an explanation.

"Or rather Sasuke's eyes." He continued, feeling the weight of all their eyes falling on him.

"Like Kakashi. He could learn jutsu's by seeing them only once." He rubbed a knuckle under his lips, scratching an itch he didn't have. "That's only a secondary goal though or he could have just taken the Uchiha in his sleep. If he's making it look like a chuunin exam casualty then he has an additional goal."

He looked up at the gathered Jonin and clan heads. "He means to attack, if not Konoha itself then the Hokage. It would be logical to assume that if he means to attack either or both of those targets he has sufficient manpower and planning to have a chance at succeeding. It would probably be best not to alert him that we're aware of his presence. I was wrong to send for all these jonin. They would make the correct hunting team to track and kill him but that's...not quite right yet."

Hyuuga Hiashi spoke first, his voice going frosty. "A genin summoned me?"

Shikamaru turned to him, not really intimidated. His own father was a clan head, if not as respected at the Hyuuga clan. "Aside from being a good choice as a part of a hunting squad I thought you might like to know that your daughter is in a hostile situation with an s-class missing nin." He shrugged. That Hinata couldn't possibly be the ninja Orochimaru was looking for played no part in this lie and he left it unsaid. He didn't bother to see what Hyuga's reaction to this was. He'd probably be given extra d-rank missions for his trouble. _So very troublesome_.

"I'm sure that his target is the last Uchiha given what the Hokage has told me. So either you alert him by removing Sasuke from the exam or attempt to use his interest in the Uchiha to your advantage." The Hokage turned to him but said nothing. He took this as an indication to continue. His father was frowning at him. _Extra chores too, looks like._ He sighed inwardly.

"I suggest both." Now he even had the Inuzuka clan head looking at him, her feral eyes questioning him. _How are they not seeing this?_ "Replace Sasuke with a henge. In this case Kakashi-sensei would be ideal." _The one damn person I didn't send for_. "He knows his team better than any of the other jonin and he'll have the best chance at not arousing Naruto and Sakura's suspicion."

"To do what, exactly?" This from Ino's dad. Shikamaru put his hands behind his head and looked up at the ceiling again.

"Not die...for the most part. Observe and report. The nin that Ino came into contact with are a known quantity. Chunin level most likely. If they are the only thing hunting Sasuke at the moment then it's likely that Kakashi can handle anything they've prepared for him. Ino can explain their abilities and relative strength to whoever is going to go." He looked at the Hokage. "Err...if they're going."

The Hokage smiled. "I haven't stopped you yet, go on."

Not sure if he felt relieved or afraid that he had the Hokage's blessing he continued. "If the team after Sasuke has at least some inkling of the plan that Orochimaru is putting into action then..." He was stopped as Ibiki entered the room. He gestured at the head of the torture and interrogation squad. The man, of all the responses he was capable of looked slightly confused and pointed at himself with a quirk of his eyebrow.

"We'll have a limited time to find out from them. It would...be best if we could convince the team that one of their members was killed as opposed to being captured." Ino piped in at this point, drawing all eyes in the room to her and blushing hotly. She continued on though. "The bandaged one, Dosu is their leader."

Shikamaru nodded, "Then likely he'd know the most about this." He turned to the Inuzuka. "It would be best if we found Kakashi-sensei quickly...you are the best tracker in the village." She snorted, good naturedly and the Hokage nodded at her as she glanced at him. Shikamaru turned to Ibiki, not watching the Inuzuka leave. "If you have a body lying around that could substitute for the sound nin?"

Ibiki grinned at him, a little disconcerting to see such a stern man actually smiling, not the scowl he expected. "Dozens!"

Shikamaru glanced at Chouji who spoke immediately. "Two meters exactly, 86 kilos with a hunched walk."

Shikamaru remembered the sound nin's arm-weapon. He didn't even know what it did, replication would be out of the question. "A medic nin will be needed too. You're going to have to cut off his right arm and leave it behind." Ino blanched at this. He didn't like the idea any more than she did but it was necessary and far be it from him to try to bend logic to his stomach's will.

Kakashi arrived a little less than a half an hour later, looking slightly rumpled and giving his best one-eyed glare at the nin-dog that was tailing him. "The Hokage has summoned you.' How hard is that?" He asked, glaring at the Inozuka. Shikamaru didn't bother to correct him on his assumption, he only explained the plan.

The gathered jonin and Hokage made several changes to the actual replacement plan but for the most part found it to be a solid idea. "To reduce the risk of being caught only Kakashi-sensei should go but...how will you find him?" Instead of answering the copy-cat ninja bit his thumb and performed several hand symbols and struck the ground with an open palm. As the mist cleared a small, grumpy looking dog stared up at all of them with droopy eyes.

"What?" The pooch asked finally.

Kakashi smiled at the dog. "Pakun can find anything." The dog harrumphed and Kakashi took him aside to explain his prey. That finished the copy-nin took off to replace the Uchiha.

* * *

The situation was the only thing that kept the Hokage from smiling to himself. All great leaders trained their subordinates to be able to survive and thrive without them. It was the paradox of a true leader: Train to not be needed.

It was one thing to say it but quite a different thing to see it in action. Sarutobi smiled inwardly as he watched a genin make intelligent conclusions, formulate a competent plan of action and draw on available resources to carry it out. _Middle of his class!_ Very likely that was a ruse or the result of not being challenged. He wrote a small note on a piece of paper and handed it to one of his guardian chuunin. _Bring me Asuma._ The chuunin bowed and left silently.

Four hours later Ino's dad came back with the first report from the field. "The Uchiha has been successfully removed from the exam and Kakashi has taken his place." He wanted to ask where the Uchiha was being held but knew that the plan required the boy to be held somewhere secure until the end of the ruse. He was growing impatient for more information but that was no reason to insult his fellow ninja.

The Hokage had sent for lunch for all of them when Chouji's stomach started growling. Shikamaru didn't realize how hungry he was until the bento was placed in front of him.

"We haven't discussed your withdrawal from the exam." His father said conversationally.

He winced. "I didn't think it was too important. Only two percent of first year genin make chuunin." He didn't notice the Hokage smiling to himself.

"Still...you'll have to explain it to your comrades." His father went on.

Shikamaru groaned inwardly as Ino opened her mouth. "Ha! Not likely, Shikamaru quits at everything he does. They wont even ask why he quit."

Chouji didn't help. "Yep, that's Shikamaru for you."

* * *

There were still four and a half days left in the second part of the exam but Shikamaru had no intention of leaving the information center so he took a cot in an empty office. It wasn't until the second day the second report came in.

This time it was Anko who gave it. "They have the sound nin Dosu." Meaning they had a one armed ninja in the interrogation room right now and were likely torturing him for information.

He stepped out of the Hokage's office and promptly vomited over the railing._ Because of me._ He thought, wiping the back of his mouth with his hand. _Even a waiter would have been easier._ Ibiki found them all an hour later in the same place, looking at ease as he explained what Dosu knew.

What he knew wasn't a lot but at least they had a general idea for Oorochimaru's goal. He wanted to cripple Konoha and kill the Hokage. If the Hokage was impressed by the idea of one of the worlds deadliest nin wanting him dead, he didn't show it.

Shikamaru turned to Ibiki, "There's no chance that he held anything back?" Ibiki shook his head though he looked annoyed with the question. _You're a professional, yeah yeah. I got it._

"There aren't enough ninja in the city for an assassination let alone an invasion." This came from Anko.

Hiashi and his own father hadn't returned after the first day, not being part of the planning process or any immediate moving parts, he didn't miss Hiashi's presence but he wouldn't mind his father being present. The elder Nara was the only person that occasionally beat him at shogi and he had the benefit of decades of experience.

"Our failure to see the method he means to attack does not preclude him from attacking." Ibiki again.

"Or when." The Hokage added. The Hokage turned to Shikamaru. "When would you attack?" He asked, and took a sip of his tea.

They had gone over Orochimaru's known abilities. "What other stages of the exam are there?"

Anko grumbled something about him not being privy to that information but Ibiki answered over her. "A preliminary match set then a final, tiered competition."

Shikamaru crouched down again, placing his hands in their familiar concentrating pose. "Where do those take place, respectively?" He asked, his voice growing soft. Ibiki explained the locations of the preliminary and final exams.

"I would attack in the finals, he'd almost have to. Anko pointed out, correctly, that even if he's got a hundred jonin hidden in the city we'd still have the advantage. During the finals though we'll be responsible for the safety of the spectators as well. A force divided is easier to conquer. I would start with a large scale attack at our walls, it would have to seem like the primary push and given what Ibiki has learned, it likely _will_ be a push for the heart of Konoha. That would draw the majority of the ninja not protecting the public away from the Hokage. Orochimaru will be at the stadium, not at the main attack. I just can't figure out…"

He trailed off, trying to follow the endless number of forks that path went down. "The Hokage is old but..." He continued, ignoring whoever chuckled at that statement, "...he would not be easily defeated, even by Oorochimaru...maybe especially not by Oorochimaru. It would take time...he would have to isolate him...I don't know how he will do that." He mumbled to himself as he thought of all the possible outcomes of such a battle. None looked good, not without knowing Oorochimaru's full capabilities and support.

The Hokage turned to him. "I will handle Orochimaru, Shikamaru. You've given your best guess, trust other ninjas to do their part." It took him a moment to digest the Hokage's words and he nodded silently.

With nothing else to plan and no other questions asked of him he sat in the corner and mostly worried about any unknown mistakes or false assumptions he had made. This wasn't his first introduction to tactical planning but it was the first real life scenario he had undertaken and while he couldn't find any flaws he would have preferred to have at least a few c-class missions under his belt before matching tactical wits with an s-class nin trained by the Hokage himself. He sighed and went over the possibilities again for the hundredth time in his head.

The skull session bled into late afternoon before they finally called a halt, Ibiki stating, "Over-planning has its dangers too." Shikamaru left without a word, ignoring the dirty looks the chunin guards gave him.

* * *

His headache grew and as the day waned and fell into night he gave up all hopes of sleep and instead walked around Konoha, trying to calm his mind. He let his feet wander and it wasn't long before he was standing in front of Ino's family flower shop. He was about to chalk up that particular bad decision to stress and his subconscious and make his getaway when Ino walked out with two hands full of trash.

Her eyes took a moment to adjust, something he hadn't thought of when he decided to stay instead of hurting her feelings. He could have escaped while she was still blinking into the dark and she would have never been the wiser. Mentally kicking himself he sighed and waved. "Ohayo, Ino-kun."

"Shikamaru?" She asked into the dark, still not able to distinguish him from the shadows. "Shouldn't you be at the Hokage's tower?" He struggled with his facial expressions, no one was supposed to know that. "He let me out of punishment for the night. He's still pretty angry I quit the exam though, I'll probably have to go back for a week."

At least she had the good sense to blush, though even that was potentially problematic. He could practically feel the heat rising off of her in waves as he walked up the steps. "Mind if I come in?" He had half a mind to leave her in her embarrassment but empathy won out once again. He sighed dramatically.

She gestured him inside and closed the door behind them both. Setting the trash down she whispered a quick, "Sorry."

"I thought I'd try my hand at floristry." He didn't say, _Because it's the most boring thing I can think of and it's most likely to put me to sleep_. The thought certainly screamed at him though. She stared at him with no small amount of suspicion but Shikamaru wasn't sarcastic, he was just apathetic.

"I was just about to close up, if you wait in back I'll finish up and we can start on the first orders for tomorrow." He nodded and without another word, shoved his hands back into his pockets and walked to the rear of the business.

Ino's curiosity was piqued and she finished the last of the closing quickly, taking out the trash, closing the register and setting the watering timer for the more sensitive plants. A few minutes later she was handing Shikamaru a pair of her mother's gardening gloves and an apron. He looked ridiculous and any of his male counterparts would tease him incessantly if they saw him but he didn't seem to mind.

She started him with repotting the zinnias. They were getting too large for the small paper pots they were still in and she'd been putting it off. She watched him for the first few and confident that he wasn't going to snap any of the springy roots she began pruning the last of the blue roses.

"It seems odd...going back to normal things knowing what we know." His head snapped up and he glared at her in warning. "Oh, sorry. Most of the shops in Konoha have a warded room, it keeps the customers from hearing any squabbles. We can hear the sales room but any sound that originates in here ends here."

He relaxed and went back to potting with a tired nod. He looked rumpled, worse in fact than she'd ever seen him. Normally his grooming was immaculate, even after training exercises he insisted on a shower and new clothing if his were soiled. His normally neat ponytail was frayed and hair was sticking out in places. _This is what he looks like after he's actually tried at something_. She thought, suddenly. Followed by the obvious. _I've just never seen him_ try_ before._

It endeared him to her. She looked at him as he stared intently at the row of paper pots, probably trying to figure out a better way of doing it. _Slightly._ She amended. It was ridiculously annoying to be paired with someone who never had to try at anything to succeed. Still...it was good to know that his apathy was constrained to things that he didn't consider important.

They worked in silence until he finished and then she showed him the appropriate amount of salt-peter to mix in with the plain soil to make the potting soil. It was heavier work but he wanted to 'try his hand' at it.

Most people thought of floristry as pruning plants and arranging flowers. While that was a large part of what she did that's only because she had been doing it for years now. You didn't trust any fool off the street to hack at your orchids because they wanted to be a florist. They started small just like anything else. In this case, as labor.

She had been alone with Shikamaru before but never in silence such as they were now. It wasn't uncomfortable, not after training together for months now. Even before that their fathers were team mates and fast friends so they, along with Chouji, had known each other all through the academy as well. Still, something about the silence was different and she noticed that the scowl he usually wore was gone. _Still slouching though, you'd think his mother would talk to him about that._

She didn't know how long they worked until she happened to yawn and looked at the wall clock. It read 0240 and she rubbed her grainy eyes. "At least I wont have to wake up early tomorrow, I've got all the prep work done." She said, meaning to steer him in the direction of wanting to leave.

He locked eyes with her, taking her meaning and began removing the apron and gloves. "Thanks, Ino. That was...relaxing." He was dirty to his elbows, the sure sign of an inexperienced florist but she'd been there once too. She wrinkled her nose, pretending to get a whiff of him. He was obviously sweating and she didn't like how informal the situation had become.

"Make sure you take a bath." He grimaced but refrained from taking the bait. She was trying to get a rise out of him.

"See you tomorrow." He said, his scowl settling back into place.

Shikamaru paid a bit more attention as he walked this time. The foray into Ino's daily life had been relaxing, he hadn't been lying about that but something was tugging at a corner of his mind. It was eating away at his calm by the moment.

He had forgotten something. _Something important._ Try as he might it eluded him. As tired as he was he knew that it was affecting his ability to think clearly but never-the-less he made his way to the Hokage tower. The chuunin at the door gave him a few nasty stares and half-muttered comments he was supposed to hear but he ignored them. The important thing was that they let him in.

He wasn't sure if he was surprised to see the Hokage up and about at that time of the morning. He wondered if the old man had slept already and had woken up or just hadn't gone to sleep. Likely he, as Shikamaru had, tried but failed.

"Shikamaru, I didn't expect to see you this late. I hope your father knows where you're at." He thought about that a moment. That was something else he'd forgotten. To tell his mother where he was. He checking the nagging sense of doom in his mind but it was unfazed by this revelation. He shrugged.

"I've missed something." He said, simply enough. Dirt flaked off his arms as he crossed them in front of himself. The Hokage, for all the reactions he had expected, only smiled. He gestured at a pair of cushions to the far side of the room, away from his desk and they both seated themselves. The Hokage with no little joint popping.

"You know Orochimaru was my student?" He asked as he lit a small burner under a teapot. He had removed his hat and for some reason the balding, liver-spotted scalp of the old man bothered Shikamaru. It made him look old and weak. _Frail._

"One of the three sanin, Jiraiya the Toad Hermit and the first Hokage's Granddaughter were the others." Shikamaru recited. He knew most of the teams and their instructors since the first Hokage founded the village. The Hokage smiled at the teapot.

"Odd that you should put it that way. Hokage's Granddaughter I mean. It's ever been the next generation's curse to live through our triumph's and mistakes. I imagine it couldn't have been easy for her to be the granddaughter of the first Hokage, constantly in his shadow but still a competent kunoichi herself. My own grandson is having similar difficulties though he's been...better of late thanks to Naruto."

Shikamaru wasn't sure where the Hokage was going with this but he understood his error. "I didn't mean to disrespect her, Hokage-sama. Princess Tsunade seemed a pretty grand title though."

The Hokage chuckled this time as he added leaves to the heating water. "I think so too." He sighed, the mirth leaving him quickly. "But yes, the three were mine to train. Most people attributed their success to my teachings. I'm not so modest as to say that I didn't help them along but for the most part they trained each other. Later, after they had gone on to be jonin...there were always whispers. Rumors of horror at Orochimaru's hands. Just rumors, mind you. Nothing ever concrete but I didn't want to believe them. It wasn't pride that made me blind...I can say that much at least."

He sighed, not meeting Shikamaru's eyes. "I was proud of my students, the great sanin even then." He began pouring their tea, Shikamaru's first.

"No, I loved him. I still do I suppose, for what he was, not what he's become." He finished pouring the tea and held the warm cup in gnarled hands. "I loved him and I didn't want to believe that he was capable of the things we'd all heard. Ambition without morality is a horrible thing to witness."

He scratched absently at a wizened eyebrow. "When we finally came across evidence of actual law-breaking I confronted him, in his own lair. He'd done things, Shikamaru...things that would make you sick to see. Things I saw for myself when I confronted him." He took a sip of the tea as if to wash a bad taste out of his mouth and Shikamaru mimicked him, not remembering taking the cup.

"When I found him, I was in my prime and he a fresh jonin. I could have ended it then, I could have saved countless lives but I failed to act. Even had he repented and seen the error of his ways...he still would have been sentenced to death for his crimes. There was no reason not to stop him then. Only I hesitated a moment and allowed him to escape." His blue eyes locked with Shikamaru's. "Now I've given my mistakes to the next generation."

He leaned forward and patted Shikamaru on the shoulder, giving him a smile. "No matter what occurs as a result of Orochimaru's actions, your team has given myself and Konoha a better chance of surviving it. No plan survives the first contact, Shikamaru but everything has a second side. Our plan will survive no more than his does but no less." He drank his tea again and was silent as Shikamaru tried to digest this.

Seeing that his words did little to assuage the gennin's worry he smiled broadly, if a bit forced. "Get some sleep, Shikamaru. You can take the side office, a cot is still set up there I think. I feel shamed enough that Orochimaru is an immediate danger to the village again. I don't think I'll ever be able to hold up my head if my genin are losing sleep trying to correct an old fool's mistake." Shikamaru started to protest and the Hokage held up a hand to silence him. "A shower too." Then he winked and Shikamaru could only rise and bow, leaving his half-full cup behind.

He was shown into the Hokage's private bathroom and given a robe by one of the chuunin guards. He washed off mechanically, his mind still turning up what the Hokage had told him. He wished he could let go the nagging feeling in the back of his mind, tell himself that he'd done the best he could, now he'd just have to watch and see. _"Wishing didn't cook dinner."_ His mother liked to say. He sighed, resigning himself to a night of no sleep but as he was told by the sandaime he finished the shower and lay down on the cot. The window was open and he heard a cricket chirping faintly before sleep pounced on him.

* * *

When he woke it was slowly though not entirely pleasant. He had decided to let the rest of the rookie teams know what was happening but not until the day of the final exam. None of them were traitors. The only one he would have even remotely suspected was Sasuke and he was one of the rogue-nin's objectives. Too many mouths spilled secrets though.

Today was also the end of the second part of the exam and the preliminary bouts, provided that most of the teams had survived. He hadn't even thought of that. Was Sasuke going to be allowed to participate in the bouts now that they knew he was one of the objectives of a possible invasion force?

If he had the choice to make he would keep the genin under wraps until the whole situation was over with. He has the top genin of their generation as far as raw combat was concerned but being the best of the least experienced would do little to win them the day.

He forced himself out of bed though the sun was still just a half circle on the horizon. He found his clothes cleaned and folded neatly on the desk of whoever's office this was. He went through what morning ablutions he could without a comb or a toothbrush. Looking in the mirror he sighed. He hated not appearing in charge of himself. It was one of his pet peeves.

He walked to Chouji's family home and ate breakfast with him and his mother. He was not looking forward to returning to his own home and getting the third degree from his parents. There was always plenty to eat at Chouji's house anyways.

"Today's the preliminaries, I thought we'd go down and watch the fights. See who's going to be in the finals." Chouji nodded, looking more somber than usual.

"Is there anything I can do to help Shika?" He asked, under his breath as his mother began washing the dishes.

Shikamaru realized that Chouji was worried about him, likely because of his appearance. "I just didn't have a brush. I slept in the Hokage tower last night."

Chouji sniffed and ignored the food on his plate, giving Shikamaru a dark eyeball. "We're a team. You don't have to take this on all alone."

The Nara nodded and stood from the table. "For now it's just wait and see. When the day of the finals comes I'll need a lot of help." Chouji quirked an eyebrow but Shikamaru waved off the implied question. "Besides, you've already saved our tails once by just being you and I don't have your talent for guessing people's body-type. The medic-nins would have been flying blind with Dosu."

Chouji looked over his shoulder, pretending to be offended. "It's gauging not guessing." Then grinned at Shikamaru sincerely, pleased that he had done something.

Just like that he had a second wind. He borrowed Chouji's comb and fixed his appearance so he didn't appear to be completely out of control and they both headed to Ino's house. Usually they'd find her at the shop this early in the morning but Shikamaru knew she'd want to sleep in after the night they had.

Her father answered the door and gestured them both in. He explained that Ino was still sleeping but he'd peek in on her. If they didn't need her for official Konoha business he wasn't going to wake her. "She stayed up half the night at the shop for some fool reason." He grumped as he trudged up the stairs.

Chouji spoke quietly around eating a bag of pork rinds. "My dad should be back in a few days. It was only an a-class mission he went on." Shikamaru nodded and was about to reply when there was a shuffle from the top of the stairs. Both looked up and their eyes went wide at what could only be described as a bog monster shuffled down the stairs in an unsteady gait.

He knew, in the back of his mind, that it was Ino underneath all that green goo and wild hair but it still frightened him to see what a woman could become when she wasn't out to impress a man.

Chouji whimpered and tugged on his sleeve. "We'll meet you there, Ino-kun!" He shouted, louder than he probably intended then dragged Shikamaru out of the house. Shikamaru was only along for the ride as the larger ninja picked him bodily up and ran with surprising speed until they were out of sight.

They stood on the balcony and it was only a short while later, despite the severe appearance change in their third teammate. Gone was the green muck that had covered her face and her hair was done up in her usual perky pony-tail. Chouji still kept Shikamaru between them but Ino appeared to be too tired to be embarrassed about it. _She'd be setting the carpet on fire if it had been Sasuke that saw it_. He thought, uncharitably.

Of the twenty two teams that had set out only six had made it this far. When their team had left the second part of the exam they had also taken one of the scrolls with them, reducing the amount of teams that could pass by two.

He assumed that the disparity between the teams that mathematically could have passed versus the teams that actually did pass was due to the nature of the exam itself. There was no guarantee that when a team faced another that one side would be incapacitated but not have the correct scroll to give to the winners. Still, it seemed like a pitifully small bunch that had survived thus far and everyone except that creepy sand-nin Gaara looked worse for the experience.

The Sand genin team was still in the running as was 'Sasuke' Naruto and Sakura. Kiba's trio as well as last years graduating team of Rock Lee, Tenten and Neji. While they were a year ahead in experience this was their first exam as well. He tried to calculate the odds of all the rookie teams making it this far as opposed to the other teams and decided against it. He'd probably kick himself for not staying in the running.

He sighed. He wasn't any more likely to pass next year as he had no real experience from the exam this year. Hopefully any missions he undertook would balance the loss of opportunity. Another Leaf team, the silver haired genin they had met on the way to the first test and his two team mates. Shikamaru hadn't been there when the genin had introduced himself and didn't know his name, or that of his two team mates. He frowned.

The last team was from the village hidden in the mist. All wore gas masks and looked a bit on the wild-eyed side. The Hokage was explaining something that Shikamaru couldn't quite hear. He did hear the result of it, both Kiba and Naruto began whining about taking a break from the second exam. _Should have saved something for this_. He wondered what had happened with Kakashi on their team. One of the Leaf's strongest ninjas retaking the chuunin exam was a bit on the ironic side but the trio didn't look any better off than any of the others.

_Must have held back a bit._ He mused. So long as they didn't have any run-ins with an assassination squad he didn't really care what Kakashi had done. He was curious how he would handle this next part though. The Hokage silenced the complaints and made the final declaration. "From here out all teams are disbanded and you will advance or fail by yourselves. You may decline to participate without disqualifying the rest of your team."

Almost immediately the silver haired leaf genin raised his hand and bowed out. As twelve of the surviving eighteen people were of the leaf village and not likely to cause any lasting harm Shikamaru failed to see the good choice in bowing out now but the nin claimed to be injured. He shrugged it off. That left seventeen, meaning one person would advance automatically. Six matches and one pass.

The Hokage pointed at the balcony where Shikamaru was standing and said something to the proctor a sickly jonin named Hayate. In a flash the man was next to Shikamaru coughing softly. "The Hokage wants you on the tournament floor." Then he was gone.

Ino and Chouji both looked at him worriedly and he hesitated a moment before Asuma-sensei nudged him. "Don't keep the Hokage waiting."

Shikamaru vaulted the railing and landed lightly on the ground below. Not normally given to running he never-the-less trotted to where the rest of the genin stood looking at him quizzically. The Hokage spared him a dark look that he hoped was feigned. He never wanted to be the target of that gaze when the Hokage meant it, that was for certain.

"I have a rare opportunity. Everyone, this is Shikamaru. As we're a shinobi short of a proper tournament he will be the extra."

The sand nin with the expensive looking face make-up spoke up, not bothering to hide his opinion in the matter. "He didn't complete the second test, why should he be given a second chance?"

The Hokage snorted. "No second chance for this one. He will not be promoted to Chunin no matter how hard he tries. He gave up in the first hour of the second exam, causing his two team mates to fail with him. No, Nara Shikamaru will be learning what it means to fight without hope of personal gain." The Hokage lifted his ever-present pipe to his lips and chewed on the stem thoughtfully.

"Unless I see a decent showing from him I'll be sending him back to the academy for another year, minus his forehead protector. He will not advance but will only fight when there's an odd match." He suppressed the sigh that wanted to come up. Acting or not the hokage's anger was intimidating.

Shikamaru's mind raced with reasons for the Hokage dragging him into this. Did he think that one of the genin present was with Oorochimaru? His surprise in the matter was not feigned and the sand nin smirked at him, placated. He was to be the punching bag of the final part of the chuunin exam. At best he would only have to fight in one match. At worst, two. Before he could get his hopes up the Hokage spoke.

"Jonin Sarutobi, take your team outside. Shikamaru, in his laziness, is still fresh while these fine shinobi have been in trial for the last five days. Chouji-san and Ino-san can show him what it means to act as a team while they spar him."

So much for two battles. This time he did sigh but the Hokage barked a loud 'Go!' and he trotted off. As he climbed back up to the balcony Ino cracked her knuckles and grinned at him cruelly. Chouji looked apologetic, even though he knew it was a ruse. To top it off Asuma sensei smacked him on the back of his head as he exited the arena.

* * *

Kakashi, in a largely discomfortable smaller form, watched the display with the customary Sasuke slouch n'smirk that he had perfected at Sakura's expense. If he was doing it right she visibly wilted every time she tried to talk to him. Brooding wasn't exactly outside of Sasuke's nature and while he hated being mean to his students he supposed it wouldn't do to toy with their emotions by being overly nice, either.

_He still wants to test the Nara_. _I guess he made quite the impression on the Old Man_._ Weird that he was only middle of his class with that sort of problem solving skill. Then again, maybe the lazy wasn't an act._

He shrugged inwardly and wished for the thousandth time in the last five days that Sasuke had taken to reading Ichi Ichi Paradise so that it wouldn't look out of place when he buried his nose in one. Even so his hands twitched for something to hold on to. Kurenai said he had a problem, as if reading was as bad as Asuma's smoking, but he had to admit that even if it was a healthy addiction, it was still an addiction.

He stilled his traitorous hands by crossing his arms. The Hokage had finished explaining and dismissed them. He was, no doubt, going to watch Shikamaru fight Chouji and Ino. Not likely to be a good showing. There was a reason those three bloodlines were paired together. The synergy they produced was exponentially superior to almost any other team in the ninja world. That didn't mean they were the best, only that they were the best fit. It also meant that while they worked the best together, they weren't exactly meant to fight each other either. He hoped Chouji didn't pound him to a pulp but he didn't think Asuma would let it get too far out of hand.

The first match popped up on the score board, "Rock Lee V. Misumi T." The little Guy clone cheered, jumping into the air and pumping his arms up and down. "First!" He vaulted the railing and hit the ground with an audible thud. Kakashi's sharp eyes could see the hairline cracks in the floor beneath the genin's feet. Either that kid was made out of lead or his leg warmers hiding a bit more than just unshapely calves.

Rock Lee's eyes cooled from the burning joy of being picked first and he calmed himself visibly by entering the Deference Stance. One hand in front and one behind his back and his feet almost completely together. The stance itself was somewhat ridiculed but that was only because only a master could react from it. He'd seen Guy use it to taunt other ninjas.

The other genin began taunting Lee as the rules were explained. Hayate asked if they both understood, Lee nodded gravely and the other ninja barked a laugh. "Sure, better call this one fast though. This reject from salon school is gonna get hurt." Lee didn't appear to notice his insult. He only twitched his fingers in a, 'Come on.' gesture.

The ninja, not someone Kakashi had ever seen fight before, surged forward fluidly. There was a muffled cracking sound as his joints unhinged and he flowed around Lee. As the nin's limbs constricted Lee disappeared only to reappear behind the ninja again.

If anyone had written off Lee as a goofy excuse for a ninja they were paying attention now. The nin, a little disoriented spun around haphazardly and crowed uneasy laughter. "Keep running, fish face, that's all you can do."

Lee, still not rising to the bait spoke calmly. "I see you've cultivated your body as your weapon of choice. We must work hard to show the ninja world that we can be effective shinobi. I wish you luck!" He said and then he was gone again, Kakashi barely picked up a green blur as it streaked towards the other nin who was caught flat footed as Lee slammed into him, lifting him clear of the ground, his elongated limbs trailing in front of him as he flew backwards.

Kakashi saw a bright splash of blood as the nin coughed with the impact. As he was about to hit the wall behind him Lee appeared on it and launched himself towards the hurtling ninja. The wall under Lee's feet buckled and cracked as he shot forward, using the combined velocity of his jump as well as the nin's backward trajectory to deliver a devastating punch to his hips.

He could have killed the other nin had he performed that same punch to the middle of his back or his head. Instead there was a loud crack like a falling tree branch as the nin's hip was broken. The nin, caught off center screamed in a warbling cry as he was flipped around by the punch and finally hit the ground, landing on his shoulder.

Lee, ever like his sensei, assumed the deference pose again until Hayate called the match, seeing the other nin in debilitating pain. He heard Sakura to his left, "Holy cow. I didn't even see him move. Is that the kind of ninjas we're going to be up against?" He grunted something that he hoped sounded Sasuke-ish. Naruto was screaming his approval for Lee who was trying to make sure the nin was alright. As the medic-nins carried the groaning shinobi out of the arena Guy appeared next to Lee and gripped his shoulder.

"Yosh Lee! You've won two battles! You bested your opponent and you showed restraint in the face of adversity!" He gave his student a blinding smile and tears began to well in Lee's eyes. For once he didn't have to pretend to be Sasuke when he let out a disgusted groan.

As they launched into another chorus of "Guy sensei!" "Lee!" Hayate cleared his throat and ended up causing himself a coughing fit.

Guy took Lee back up to the balcony where he was pounced on by Naruto who, in his honesty, was too happy for Lee to be worried about facing him at some later date. It was his most sincere hope that some of that would rub off on Sasuke. Too much empathy was a personal liability but too little was the mark of a monster.

The next match was announced quickly. "Tenten vs. Naruto U." Lee managed to cheer Naruto and Tenten. Naruto looking a little put out._ Probably wanted to fight Sasuke_.

It didn't help Naruto's self esteem at all to be handed a scroll by his number one rival after he had claimed to be going on a bathroom break. Kakashi knew he had been itching to test himself against Sasuke since the first day of the second test. Hopefully in a month he'd be able to sit his team down and explain everything that had happened. The least he could do was visit Sasuke as soon as the preliminary matches were done and explain to him why he was being held.

He hadn't had the time or the inclination to answer questions about it when he had first taken Sasuke out of the exam. Today would be his first chance to explain. It would also be in a secure area where he could drop the henge, rest for a little while and maybe catch up on his reading.

Naruto dropped to the arena floor followed by Tenten. The two shinobi, from the same village, but had never spoken before. Tenten bowed politely which Naruto mimicked. "I'm not going to go easy on you!" He said after he straightened back up.

Kakashi seriously doubted that Tenten was too worried about Naruto going to rough on her. As soon as Hayate started the match both shinobi were in motion. Tenten jumped directly backwards, creating more distance between them. Naruto created about a dozen clones in a ridiculous display of his unbelievable chakra capacity.

_It's not fair! I could have made forty clones with what he just burnt up on twelve_. If he tried it likely would have left him weak and trembling. He sighed and returned his attention to the match. If the runt just had Sakura's control of chakra he could begin teaching him some real jutsus. The Shadow Clone was very advanced stuff and it definitely had hundreds of uses but only a fool carried a toolbox with only one tool in it.

Tenten bit her thumb and swiped it across a scroll that billowed out in front of her in a practiced move. Dozens of weapons burst into being with a puff of mist and streaked towards the clones. While the watching genin were impressed he didn't think they understood what sort of skill it took to imbue summoned things with inertia. If she had simply bound them to a scroll they would have just fallen to the ground with little to no effect. She had sealed these within the scroll with pinpoint timing. It was probably hours of work, practiced work, to get that many into a scroll with arc of aim. He wasn't lazy but he definitely knew that he hadn't put that much effort into his own Chunin exam.

An inertial summon was particularly deadly in that it couldn't be read, even with the sharingan. When she improved her throwing arm and her aim with the scrolls he had no doubt that she would be a deadly ninja. Even as a jonin it was impressive to behold.

Still, it was one tool in a toolbox. Physical attacks were useful in many situations but Naruto was used to pain and his body just wouldn't give up.

He wondered if the academy instructors had even gone over genjutsu as a weapon as opposed to just how to defend against it. None of the new crop of shinobi appeared to utilize it at all and it would fold up Naruto in an instant. He had no emotional control over himself and lacked the necessary chakra control to remove himself from one.

Naruto's next attack came from the wall. Kakashi was proud to see him scale the wall so easily after he'd had such a tough time with the exercise but it was to little avail. Tenten summoned a sansetsukon, or tri-section staff and knocked him off his perch before he could line up an attack. She then proceeded to pummel him from one end of the arena to the other. He occasionally blocked but for the most part he drew on his immense stamina to keep him upright. When he finally got some distance from her he was bruised all over and bleeding from a split lip.

Naruto was thinking less clearly now and charged at her, without shadow clones this time. Tenten brought the tri-staff above her head in a humming circle as she spun it effortlessly. She appeared to be wide open and Naruto howled as he closed in on her.

Kakashi didn't see her do anything different, he probably would have needed the use of his sharingan to catch it but she dropped down into a crouch with the whirling staff and there was a sharp click. One of the sections came free, apparently by design, and whipped off in Naruto's direction. It bounced off the ground once and then struck him just below the knees with a hollow thunk! Naruto cursed vividly and tumbled forward, his charge now working against him as he rolled towards a waiting Tenten. She let the sansetsukon fall from her hands and summoned one last weapon, a chain-sickle or kusarigama.

The appearance of an obviously deadly weapon alarmed him and despite his promise to the Hokage he began to make the hand symbols to kwarmi Naruto out of there but he needn't have bothered. Using the sickle as a handle Tenten instead threw the blunt, weighted end of the chain out and whipped it in a broad circle. The middle of the chain struck Naruto in the back of the neck and the whole chain came around, entangling his legs and one of his arms and it swept around and around him. It was only enough to unbalance him further but Tenten took the opportunity and pounced on him, bringing baton side of the sickle down on the top of the blonde genin's head. Naruto's eyes rolled back and the match was over. Kakashi couldn't help but chuckle, something that Sakura took as 'Sasuke' being mean.

"He tried his best, Sasuke. You could have at least cheered him on!" He grunted again, hoping he sounded convincing. Sakura, despite being a complete airhead when it came to all things 'Sasuke' was very observant and very intelligent. If he didn't want her asking the wrong questions he had to be on his toes. Thankfully that generally meant he just had to be a jerk to her. He was starting to feel like a jerk though and it was more than a little uncomfortable for someone half his age to be making moon-eyes at him.

He shrugged and watched the board, waiting for the next match to be announced. He hadn't been told who he was going to be paired against but he had figured out that the Hokage most likely wanted him out of the matches so he'd have to throw the fight. Ego didn't play a part in his battles anymore. Ego had killed enough of his friends already. Lost in his own thoughts he didn't notice as Sakura stared at him intently.

The third match was between Gaara and another leaf shinobi. His particular talent was draining chakra with a touch. It might have been an excellent pairing if Gaara's sand had even let him get close. The match was over almost before it began and Hayate had to intervene at the end lest the leaf genin be killed in what looked like a very excruciating manner.

The fourth match was announced as "Sasuke U. v. Neji H." He suppressed a smile. At least he wasn't going against someone who wasn't going to hurt Sasuke's ego to lose to. Guy must have been told about this particular pairing. The Hyuuga eyes could see through a henge a mile away. Then again, he thought as he looked at Guy, Sasuke's ego knew very few boundaries.

He took the stairs down to the arena floor. Hayate explained the rules to them but he only half payed attention, he was still thinking of the last bit of Ichi Ichi Paradise he had read. He had been halfway through his favorite pairing when that Inuzuka had dragged him bodily in front of the Hokage._ Honestly…you see someone naked once and they think they can walk all over you._

Neji said something to him and before he could stop himself he said, "What was that?" Guy already knew he had taken on Sasuke's appearance for the foreseeable future. Guy was one of the few ninja that Kakashi trusted as much as the Hokage. He was just annoying as hell sometimes. Still, it stung to see his 'arch rival' wince at the slip.

He grinned in his best approximation of a Sasuke sneer and was rewarded with a nasty blush creeping up Neji's face. "Your clan fight too or are you going to bore me to death?" Neji's eyes narrowed at this and Kakashi decided to go for the gold. "At least Naruto got to fight a real ninja even if the fraidy-cat lost."

Neji rushed forward with a muttered curse and Kakashi marveled at how far he'd progressed even from being number one in his academy class. He forced himself to slow his reaction times and speed. He knew a few kaiton jutsus that would definitely look authentic but he decided to go for the accidental loss instead of a prolonged battle. It would give Neji more time for recovery and better yet, it required the least amount of effort from him.

As Neji came in with a gentle-fist technique he feinted to the inside in what he hoped looked like a bold move. At the last moment he turned away from the blow only to catch it's follow-up in his shoulder.

The entire joint froze up and he groaned, this time in real pain. He hadn't been hit with a gentle fist in over a decade but it was pretty hard to forget. He made a show of trying to block with one hand but anyone could see the fight was over with. Three more jyuuken strikes and he was left gasping on the floor. In no way was that part faked and he hoped at some point, this mission would be given a classification so that he might actually get paid for it. Just being an angsty thirteen year old ranked a high B low A. Getting pummeled as one should net him S-team pay.

Guy picked him up off the arena floor with a single arm. "You'll be fine in no time, Sasuke-kun and to show my cold-fish arch rival what it means to be a true teacher I will look after you until you're feeling better." All he could do was grunt. It was taking the majority of his concentration not to interrupt the flow of chakra that kept his henge in place. He had already had to re-route around his frozen thigh.

"Don't let the fires of your youth sputter and go out after a single defeat!" He said loudly. Well, in his defense everything he said he said loudly. Still, he wasn't sure if Guy was paying him back for all the times he'd gotten the best of him or if he was really just acting the part. Either way, receiving the "power of youth" speech was painful at this range and when the mans calloused hands patted him on his head it felt like he was trying to mash his brains in.

Guy propped him up on a wall facing the arena floor. The fourth match was called, Hinata H. v. Temari.

The sand kunoichi smirked at the violet haired leaf ninja and bounded down to the arena floor carrying a large fan.

Kakashi remarked on the smirk. If she knew who Hinata was then she must have at least some information on her. Everything she needed to know had been in the last match though. Neji and Hinata had been trained by the same man in Jyuuken, Hyuuga Hiashi.

Jyuuken was another form of combat that he couldn't mimic. He could only plan against at. The only way to defeat a Jyuuken user was to attack from afar. Up close fighters like Rock Lee and Naruto would be punished for not having more long range skills.

A fan was used in several different disciplines of the shinobi. A metal fan could be used as a sword breaker as well as a slicing weapon in the truest sense of the word. As Hayate finished the explanation and warning Temari jumped back and opened the fan slightly, waving it front of her in mid-air and carrying her further away than her leap alone could have.

Immediately Hinata ducked under something unseen. Kakashi saw a barely visible blade of air strike the ground where Hinata had been.

It was also used for the production and enhancement of wind-based jutsus. He was certainly impressed. He hadn't learned about his own elemental affiliation until he was well into his third year as a chunin. A genin had already learned her affiliation and was now proficient enough in it to use it as an effective weapon.

In this case, Kakashi observed, the wind was not as large of advantage as it normally would have been. Wind had the added benefit to be almost invisible. Hinata, with her byakuugan active, could see the chakra that formed it in the air as if it had been made out of blue ink.

"A close range attacker against my wind attacks is just stupid. Give up now, little girl, and you wont get hurt." Temari began throwing more and more wind attacks at the juken user even as Hinata tried to close the distance between them. As the words came out Hinata seemed to shrink in on herself.

Naruto who was nursing a fairly large goose egg on his head shook his fist at the sand nin and yelled, "Don't take that shit, Hinata!" He winced after he yelled it but the fist stayed up. A medic nin was trying to fuss over him but the boisterous blonde was too busy jumping up and down and yelling, "Kick her ass!" Slowly but surely Hinata's stance solidified.

_Wish I could command that sort of reaction._ He thought offhandedly. Aside from his willingness to train himself into the ground, Naruto's largest asset was his ability to rally others. Infect them with his no-lose state of mind. The only problem was that no one else had the nine-tailed fox and the Uzumaki stamina regenerating them when they got hurt.

He supposed that Naruto was the most dangerous person in the room because of that. Not because he would be unstoppable in a fight, Tenten had already disproven that. No…it was that win at all costs mentality that he could spread like a virus.

Kakashi decided that he would impress on Naruto that not all others could push themselves like he could without risk of death or permanent impairment. It was good that he believed in his fellow shinobi but he had a powerful gift in influencing people and he should at least be made aware of the more adverse effects of it.

Still, it had a significant and positive effect on Hinata. He had seen the Hyuga's fight for most of his life and he, as with any one else who had witnessed their particular specialties knew that using blade ninjitsu was a waste of time. Large scale jutsus worked better, things they couldn't slice through. Genjutsu was also a waste of time as they could see right through most of them.

Hinata was only dodging the attacks at the moment but Kakashi knew that if she chose she could slice through the thin wind blades with little effort. He hadn't had the occasion to see Hinata fight but she was very flexible and agile.

Hinata made a flying leap through a particularly complex set of blades and rolled to her feet, coming up in a picture perfect Juken stance. She darted in closer to the sand kunoichi but was forced into a backflip as the nin sent another flurry of chakra enchanced wind blades at the smaller leaf ninja. He could see Hinata setting up Temari. Dodging in, darting away. Always at the mercy of the wind blades.

To Naruto it looked as though she was losing and Kakashi heard him bellowing his support to "Win!"

He doubted that Hinata heard him, she chose that moment to spring the trap. She surged forward, skipping lightly over the stone of the arena. Her feet, glued to the floor with chakra allowed her to dodge quicker than normal and she bounded to the side, avoiding the first volley. She was almost on top of Temari now and the blond genin smirked, seeing that Hinata was now too close to avoid her attack. She brought her fan around in a huge arc and sent the blades at the violet haired shinobi.

Kakashi watched as her hands, blue with chakra infusion, cut through the wind blades. Temari, hadn't bothered to put more distance between herself and Hinata and was caught flat-footed as the mousy girl closed off the most strategic tenketsu points. After the first was closed on her strong shoulder it was only a matter of time before Hinata systematically shut down her muscle functions and removed her ability to mold chakra.

A few short moments later Temari fell to the ground and Hayate called the match. Hinata didn't appear to have heard, she was still staring at the spot that the sand nin should have been in, flabbergasted at her own victory.

Kakashi snorted in derision, trying to keep the Sasuke front alive but he was also pleased with the victory. Anyone who'd been around the kunoichi for more than two minutes knew that she was painfully shy.

_Might do her a world of good to have a little unavoidable and deserved attention thrown her way._

Kiba and Shino, met her on the arena floor, Kiba ruffling her hair and Shino congratulating her in what appeared to be a somber manner. Naruto was practically vibrating now but he waited for her to return to the balcony before pestering her. Kakashi hid a smile in the crook of his elbow as he leaned against the railing.

Shikamaru stumbled in for the next match, just in front of the Hokage. He did indeed look ruffled, bruises were visible on his arms and one particularly nasty looking gash was coloring his pants a deep red.

He was in time to watch the double mist village match in which both were knocked out and thus both disqualified.

* * *

He received a minimum of medical attention for the gash and almost as soon as they were done the next match was called out, "Shikamaru N. vs. Sakura H."

Shikamaru had already made tentative attack plans for the remaining ninja as he walked back into the arena. He dismissed them all and concentrated on the Haruno. He wasn't happy about facing a girl in front of everyone but the Hokage had left him very little wiggle room in this ruse.

It was all a lie but even in a lie everyone had to follow the Hokage's orders.

_Smart, good chakra control, no demonstrated niche talents...Haruno's are not a ninja family, no blood-lines._ He assumed she, like he did with everyone else in the arena, knew his own blood-limit. He rubbed his shoulder and winced. _Chouji didn't have to hit me that hard._

He sighed as Hayate finished with the rules and started the match.

Almost immediately Sakura threw a brace of Shurikan. He jerked a kunai from his thigh holster and knocked away what he couldn't dodge. She followed up with a kunai trailing an explosive tag. The heat of the blast was intense even as he jumped away. When he landed he could smell the fabric of his pants smouldering. Another one that close and he wasn't going to be much of a punching bag for the rest of the exam.

Sakura kept the pressure on, not allowing him time to make any hand symbols.

She kwarmi no-jutsu'd behind him and only his flexibilty saved him. He bent over backwards as Sakura's feet trailed over him with a heavy woosh of air. 

_God I hate fighting._ He thought. His own approach to things was largely tactical. Given a little time and some first-hand knowledge he doubted that he wouldn't find a way to beat Sakura in short order but she was allowing very little time for him to concentrate.

His biggest problem is that he didn't want to hurt her. Intellectually he knew that female ninjas weren't any less able to stick a kunai in him (as evidenced by his bloody pants) but he still couldn't help the sexism that seeped to the surface. He flipped back onto his hands and carried his legs over until his feet hit the ground again.

Then suddenly he had it, glaring at him. He wished he hadn't almost been blown up to figure it out but done was done.

He straightened up and lept backwards, deliberately placing his back to the wall just under the observation balcony. He didn't have the reserves of stamina and chakra that Chouji had and after the beating he'd just received at the hands of his team mates he was flagging fast. If she made it to the third stage of the seven stages he had planned he would lose. He just didn't have the chakra to go past stage two.

He didn't bother to look up at the girder above him, he was in it's shadow and that's all that mattered. He made a quick hand seal as Sakura stepped close to the beam shadow and she lept away from it even though it remained unchanged.

He felt the familiar tightening sensation as his Kagemane was completed. He relaxed his hands and carefully kept the chakra in check. Sakura just looked at him quizzically for a moment.

"Kagemane successful." He said, mostly to himself. It was an old training habit his father had drilled into him. He wouldn't always be able to tell his team how he planned on capturing a ninja to be their personal punch-doll so it was a good habit to speak the successful completion of a kagemane outloud so they knew.

"The hell it was!" Sakura growled at him and charged. As she neared him he took a step forward and vaulted over her, not bothering to pull his kunai out. She spun around, kunai at the ready and was just quick enough at detecting the growing shadow at her feet to look up. Naruto, bound by the Kagemane had lept over the balcony just as he had lept over Sakura and was now gravity's plaything. He bent his knees so Naruto wouldn't hurt her too much but she absorbed the majority of his impact with her back, crashing to the ground in a cloud of dust.

As soon as the kagemane was released Naruto ran for cover but he needn't have, Sakura was sleeptalking deep in her own dreamland. Hayate spoke, breaking through her unintelligible babble. "Shikamaru wins."

He didn't think that counted as him harming her. _Naruto's own fault for not being observant._

The next match pitted Shino versus the last mist village genin. It was a close thing for the majority of the match but Shikamaru saw the growing patch of bugs on the back of the mist genin and knew what the outcome was going to be. After a few minutes of intense fighting the mist genin became sluggish until finally he collapsed on his face.

Kiba faced the last Sand shinobi and had the Hokage not been there he knew that the outcome would have caused an international incident. A gas cloud enveloped Akamaru, almost killing him and Kiba went into a rage, destroying the shinobi's puppet but also flying through another of the gas eclouds. Kankuro, the puppet-user, balked about giving the antidote for the poison and it looked as though the entire Leaf Village rookie force was going to bum rush him and the rest of his team.

In the end Garaa said something to Kankuro and the sand shinobi relinquished the antidote with a warning, "In our country, he would be left to die."

The Hokage took the stage with a broad grin and congradulated them all. He explained the final stage of the exam and had them all draw numbers one through seven from a hat. He was not allowed to draw because, "You'll be fighting the odd Shinobi out, Nara." The Hokage said sternly.

Of the numbered strips, Neji was first then Rock Lee, Shino, Hinata, Gaara, Kankuro and last was Tenten.

_Another girl!_ He grumped to himself in his mind. Aloud he only sighed. He was anxious for the Hokage to finish, he didn't want to be around when Sakura woke up.

* * *

Re-editing some mistakes.

Enjoy

Dave


	2. Chapter 2: Explanations and Consequences

Kagemane Complete

Chapter 2: Explanations and Consequences

Kakashi was starting to feel a little frayed at the edges as he made his way towards the underground holding cells. He had been in a Sasuke henge for the better part of a week now and completely without a single Ichi Ichi Paradise book. As he neared the large, sealed doors he took out a small scroll that Ibiki had made for him and gave it to the chuunin guard. The man opened it and read it briefly before tossing it back to the grumpy looking genin. "Yeah, head in. Plenty of cleaning to do I suppose." As soon as the large doors closed behind him he dropped the henge and yanked 3 out of his breast pocket. That Jiraiya-sama could write something so addictive was a testament to his powers of observation and skillful reconnaissance gathering.

He walked slowly as he made his way deeper into the dungeons of Konoha, an occasional giggle or titter escaping him and seeming completely out of place for his surroundings. The preliminary matches had just finished and as he had promised himself, he was here to let Sasuke know what exactly was going on. It was a shame that he'd have to wait an entire month in the various crew-quarters of the torture and interrogation squad. They weren't known for observing any form of feng shui and the smell was wretched but given the choice between death and a month-long stay in prison he supposed he'd chose prison as well.

It took him a little over 5 minutes to walk the distance. Most people didn't understand or appreciate the concentration it took to walk with one eye covered and the other reading a book. He had developed this talent after extensive shoulder bruising and no small amount of personal ridicule. It had been worth it though.

He arrived at Sasuke's door and knocked twice before allowing himself entrance. He put the book away with a slight shudder of longing and realized that Sasuke was glaring at him without saying a word.

"Uh...hi." He started, trying to paint a winning smile on his face mask.

"Don't give me that shit! It's been 5 days!" The last Uchiha was glaring murder at his sensei and emanating no small amount of killing intent.

"Yeah..." It wasn't that he enjoyed tweaking the uptight, angsty Sasuke (he did) it was mostly the lesson involved with not taking yourself so seriously that Kakashi wanted to get across to him. His own lesson had come at the cost of his best friend and all the attention he spent on Sasuke was in an effort to teach him that without the personal loss. Lately though it had felt like it was spiraling out of his hands and he was thankful for the cool-off time. Sasuke would only really listen to him if he thought his sensei was training him so Kakashi was stuck trying to catch Sasuke up on his humanity while constantly making him stronger still, a dangerous gamble and one that made him pity some of the decisions the Hokage had had to make in regards to Orochimaru.

He was close to being recommended for redistribution. Kakashi didn't think the genin's relationship with Konoha would survive redistribution though and was loathe to turn in completely accurate reports about the introverted Uchiha.

It had been the hope of not only himself but the Hokage as well that pairing him with the unusually loyal and amiable Naruto would help him over this particular hurdle. While it was making him stronger having a rival on his team, it was doing little for his perception of the world.

"Has it?" Kakashi said, innocently. Spending five days as a teenager would forever be burned into his mind as the worst mission he'd ever endured where everyone survived. He knew intimately how long it had been and while he didn't blame Shikamaru for the plan or the direction it took, he'd find a nice rock to hide under if the Nara ever looked his way with that contemplative scowl again.

Before Sasuke could explode he began explaining about Orochimaru and his plans for Sasuke's eyes.

"What's the big deal? Zabuza was a high A low S. We defeated him just fine and that was just the four of us. We're in Konoha." The genin said, still trying to deal with the anger he felt at being thrown in a jail-cell for the last week.

"You're only part of his plans, the other part is the invasion of Konoha and if he's got the muscle for that then taking your eyes wouldn't be much of a side note. At this time the Hokage estimates that if Orochimaru is planning an attack then he'd have to have at least one hundred to three hundred ninja of chuunin or better level at his disposal." Kakashi ruffled the genin's hair and for once Sasuke didn't try to throw his hand away. It wasn't a fondness for the physical interaction though, the boy was just too lost in his thoughts.

"Why all the secrecy though?" Sasuke asked, finally pushing the hand away. Kakashi sniffed and refrained from pulling his book out as he wanted to. He then began to explain the various events that had led up to Sasuke's removal from the exam as well as a few of the things they had learned.

"So this Dosu is being held down here somewhere?" Sasuke asked, looking into Kakashi's drooping eye.

"Yep, I had planned to head over there next and see if Ibiki had found anything else out about the village hidden in the sound." Kakashi gestured at the door and his genin student preceeded him out of the door, somewhat calmer than when he'd entered.

"What about the chuunin exam?" Kakashi had the book out now, if he was walking and the worst of the Uchiha's anger was over with he could indulge a bit.

"Still going on, it would be a poor decision not to spring the trap on Orochimaru while we know at least a little about what's going on. We could close up borders now and eject any non-Konohagakure residents but the trap you know about, no matter how bad it is, is always a thousand times better than the one you don't." Kakashi knew he was asking about his own advancement but decided to tweak the genin a bit more.

"I mean how will it be judged now?" Kakashi turned to look at him, suddenly perturbed.

"Why would that matter?" He asked, nonchalantly.

"Just because someone invaded doesn't mean I shouldn't get a fair chance at a chuunin selection." He said, looking at Kakashi incredulously.

Kakashi disguised his growing anger with a smile. "You lost to Neji in the preliminaries. I wouldn't worry about it this year." He'd just spent five days getting his ass kicked by genin and chuunin alike. No less than four jonin had worked around the clock at the plan of another genin and they had all moved mountains to keep this ungrateful little shit safe and all he was worried about was a fair shake at promotion. _Not even a 'thanks'._

He pushed his anger down, it was a trick he had been taught by the fourth Hokage. Anger was the crutch of the cowardly, used when they couldn't face a problem as a rational person for fear of failing. Anger overpowered the fear and allowed them to function in a semi-coherent manner.

That wasn't to say he didn't indulge every so often but he wasn't about to let a genin make him angry. It didn't mean he had to let the source off the hook though.

"I don't do that do I?" He asked, looking at Sasuke with a feigned mortified expression.

"What are you talking about?" He asked testily.

"That thing you did…where you're told that everyone is in danger because they're trying to protect you but you're more worried about a stupid thing, a promotion in this case, and you don't bother to thank anyone for having to pretend to be you for a week." Sasuke started to open his mouth but Kakashi saw a blush rising in his face and was twisting the knife now.

"I hope you didn't learn it from me, I'd hate to look like an ungrateful, bratty little whiner in the face of so many…" He began to draw from the dramatic now. "Selfless acts of heroism on my behalf. Not to mention being more worried about the frivolous things I want when people's lives, such as the Hokage's are on the line. You'll tell me if I do it again, right?" He finished by quirking his eyebrow at Sasuke questioningly.

Sasuke, in answer, hunched his shoulders and fell a little behind his sensei. After a few minutes of walking in silence Kakashi heard a quiet, "Sorry."

Kakashi pretended to not hear this but suppressed a smile as he buried his nose back in 'Ichi Ichi Paradise 3'. _Not bad for a 'pervert'. _He thought, pleased with himself.

It wasn't long before they came upon a jonin guard that stopped them 15 feet from a thick steel door with seals permanently etched in it's surface. "Advance one to be recognized."

Kakashi turned to Sasuke and had him wait while he identified himself to the special jonin. It was expedited when Ibiki came from the opposite hallway but no one got a pass through and Ibiki was forced to endure the rather close scrutiny of a byakuugan user before either one was allowed entrance.

All three entered the holding cell of Dosu.

The first thing Sasuke noticed was the smell. It smelled bad in his room but he had grown used to it, this was a different kind of stink. There was sewage of course, the prisoner had been given a bucket that he had to empty himself that wasn't the most overpowering stink though. Part of it was Dosu's body. He was washed once a day, by force in most cases, and his cell was immaculate except for the mess he himself made but it too was emptied and cleaned daily to ensure no buildup of anything a ninja could use for escape. He couldn't identify the cause of the stink.

Sasuke had seen Dosu during the brief scuffle before the first part of the exam. At the time he had appeared a ninja, strong and in control. Confident and dangerous. What he saw now was none of these things and to top it off his right arm had been severed just above his elbow.

Sasuke had seen worse when his own brother had decimated his clan but it was still shocking to see the still-bloody bandages where the giant metal weapon had been.

Ibiki was chuckling about something with Kakashi. They hadn't even been talking about the prisoner but it was all that Sasuke could see or think about. As they finished their conversation Ibiki glanced at Dosu and said, "Prisoner stand." In a conversational manner. The effect was startling and immediate. Dosu, the chiding and dangerous sound-nin who had almost taken on 9 other genin at once, whimpered and stood in a flash, turning towards Ibiki but not looking at him in the eye. He appeared to be posing and Sasuke realized this was a position he had been taught. He feet were shoulder width apart and the one hand left to him was at his side with his palm forward.

"The Village Hidden in the Mist is compartmentalized, much like the old Iwagakure assasination squads." Kakashi nodded, his book disappearing. "It's difficult getting information other than reporting procedures and instruction drops. As you know, most drops are based on combined team knowledge. One person of the team will know the time, another the place and the last the cipher." He gestured at the broken Dosu. "In the case of the Prisoner, he was given knowledge of the basics of Orochimaru's plan insofar as he was participating in it. That isn't to say that is what Orochimaru intends but it's a good starting place. The rest of the information gathered from him was his own observations and inferences."

Sasuke was beginning to feel sick when he finally realized what the smell was coming from. The stench was fear roiling off of Dosu in waves. The former shinobi (that's the only way that Sasuke could think about him now) trembled but didn't avert his eyes from whatever they focused on. "What was his part of the plan?"

Ibiki gestured to the ninja, "Ask him yourself. You have to address him as 'prisoner'. He has earned it."

In whatever warped world Dosu had found himself, Sasuke could see him show a spark of pride at this. He glanced at Ibiki who wore a grim expression and wondered what had been done to the former ninja to bring him to such a state.

"Prisoner..." He started and Dosu focused on his right shoulder, never once crossing eyes with him. He took a steadying breath. "What was your part in Orochimaru's plan?"

"To kill Uchiha Sasuke." He replied, immediately and clearly. His voice sounded much stronger than he looked.

"Why?" He said, stepping closer to the bars.

"You have never met Orochimaru-sama. In his kingdom, you do not ask why. You do as he says, if you fail you go into the pit with the rest of the failures." At this Ibiki perked up a bit.

He gestured for Sasuke to continue, "What is the pit?" Dosu's eyes looked unfocused as he answered.

"It's where he sends all the experiments, some of the failed ones, some of the successful ones. I've never been there." His eyes were slowly coming back into focus.

"Why do you think you were told to kill me?" Sasuke started, turning to see what Dosu was staring at.

Several things happened at once as he said, 'me'. Dosu's eyes came sharply and angrily into focus and his free hand shot through the bars. Kakashi's hand gripped his shoulder and pulled him away from the bars so he was out of range of the sound-nin's reach.

Dosu was angry, spitting and cursing and trying to hammer his way through the steel bars but it was nothing compared to Ibiki's fury. Kakashi-sensei shoved Sasuke ahead of him, making a hasty retreat. He only caught parts of Ibiki yelling at Kakashi but most of it was cursing and the rest was set up for more cursing.

They made a hasty retreat through the catacombs and back to Sasuke's room. Realizing he was right back where they started Sasuke grumbled. "They're not letting me out of here yet are they?"

Kakashi grinned at him in answer. "On the plus side, you don't have to be you for a month. I get to be you. Try being someone else for a bit. I don't particularly enjoy it but I didn't get to pick either."

Sasuke answered him with a scowl but as Kakashi was leaving he caught him up. "What was Ibiki so angry about? I'm going to see him again if I have to spend a whole month in this hole."

"Ah...that." Kakashi's book found it's way into his hands again but he hadn't started reading yet. "Genin that are brought here are supposed to know the rules for addressing prisoners. No anger towards them, no using their real name and a list of other rules. The one I didn't mention to you before we went in was, "Don't take ownership of a mission objective."

"I don't get it." He said, geniunly perplexed.

"It means if you're the object of their mission, don't say you are. Even if you're not, don't say you are." Kakashi shrugged. "I never really took an interest in interrogation, you'd have to ask Ibiki why."

Kakashi made to leave a second time and Sasuke brought him up short again, "Thank you, Kakashi-sensei."

It was a small thing but it was still a step in the right direction. Kakashi closed the door behind him and resumed the henge. He didn't enjoy it but it would likely make leaving the dungeon a bit easier. Ibiki was probably still looking to set his ears on fire.

The Hokage studied a large scroll intently, being careful not to touch it as it lay on his desk. It was not that much different from the Heaven and Earth scrolls that Anko had used during the second exam. He hoped it would be enough to tip the scales next month.

Regardless of how he fared though, Konoha would not fall and that was the important thing. He was old, it was time to step down regardless of the outcome of the impending battle. If he survived he would send for Tsunade. He had hoped that Jiraiya would be willing to take up the mantle of Hokage but when Naruto had been born, all his energy and effort had gone into making the boy as safe as possible. He didn't have room in his heart to a whole village and that was something the Third took very seriously.

Any fool can wield power. He would be damned if he passed on the Hokage mantle to anyone who wasn't wielding it with the best interests of the village at heart. Jiraiya was a good man but he would wield the power with Naruto's best interests at heart and as much as he owed to the young shinobi, his duty was to the village as a whole.

Tsunade would just have to be reminded that her heart was here, not at the dice tables.

He didn't relish the thought of the villages coffers paying off her various gambling debts once the collectors found out she was a respectable Hokage but he'd cross that bridge when he came to it.

One of his chuunin guards opened the door and stuck his head in, "Asuma for you, Hokage-sama." Hiruzen nodded at the guard and Asuma stepped through the door. He had a cigarette in his mouth but in deference to his father it hadn't been lit. He closed the door behind him and removed his shoes before making his way to the Hokage's desk.

"Father." Asuma said with an uncertain smile.

The Hokage glared at him and slapped his open palm on the desk in front of him, careful not to touch the scroll still.

"Stand to, Jonin." He said, his voice a thin, icy blade.

Immediately Asuma yanked the cigarette out of his mouth and stood up straight, facing forward. This was the answer to their personal and professional relationship tension. Back when the fourth had still been alive and Asuma had made chuunin they had experienced a period of uncertainty.

A boy grows up needing the wisdom of his father until he becomes a man and must stand on his own. Changing the dynamic between father and son is up to the son, he must set boundaries for his father and assert control over his own life. Having his father for a superior had bled through to their personal dealings and the line between a father and son and a superior and a subordinate had become blurred. It had led to a giant falling out between them and ultimately his leaving Konoha to become one of the 12 ninja guardians. When they had reconciled, Asuma had come up with the answer to the problem in the form of a simple name. When he was being referred to as a son, he was Asuma. When he was the subordinate he was only Jonin Sarutobi.

When Hokage was good and pissed he was simply, Jonin. It had only happened one other time and he wasn't happy to see it again. It generally meant a foray into D-ranked missions for the foreseeable future. Goodbye expense account, hello cat-capture.

"I've been reading your woefully inadequate progress reports." He said, gesturing at a small scattering of papers. He'd only had the team for a few months now so there wasn't much in those reports yet. "Nara Shikamaru was given an IQ test by yourself but the score isn't present. His taijutsu is only surpassed by his genjutsu in absolute worthlessness and according to your first and last report, hasn't improved at all."

The Hokage took a long moment to stand up and walk over to Asuma, staring into his eyes though the Jonin could not look back. "His score, jonin."

Asuma thought better of trying to explain why he hadn't put the score in there. Maybe at a later time, but now was not the time to argue. He'd be up to his eyeballs in cats and gardens for a month as it was. "Over 200, Hokage-sama. The exact score was impossible to register, he was beyond the game's design parameters."

"And why hasn't he improved in basic shinobi techniques?" Hiruzen said, his voice starting to lose it's edge.

To that, he had no response. Not even if the Hokage was in a good mood. "I have failed to train him. He...gets around me."

The Hokage laughed and it was not without mirth but it cut off quickly. "Show me how he gets around you, Jonin. I'm going to train you, since you've obviously forgotten your responsibilities. 'Get around it' as your genin has."

"Yes, Hokage-sama." He said, with a quick but deep bow. Already the dread was rising in his stomach.

"Dig a hole in front of my tower and set a training log in it. You will strike this log 400 times from the power stance as hard as you can, closed fist. When you've finished, uproot that same log and carry it with you wherever you go. When anyone asks you why you're carrying a log you will reply to them, 'I have forgotten my responsibilities, this is to remind me of the weight of my ineptitude.' Repeat it."

Asuma repeated the instructions verbatim and the Hokage nodded. "Dismissed."

As Asuma was leaving, his father said, "You've got a good one there, Asuma. I would like to hear your stories of him over dinner if you're free. My treat."

Asuma grinned at him. "If I can bring a date?" They both knew he meant the log and before Hiruzen started laughing he waved off his son. He'd still get crap missions for a month but the system worked for them.

Shikamaru was about to ask why his sensei had a tree on his back but his mentor silenced him with a look. Ino was under no such obligations to notice the implied discretion and asked anyways. Asuma gritted his teeth. "I have forgotten my responsibilities, this is to remind me of the weight of my ineptitude." Ino blushed hotly and knew that she had made a mistake.

"On that note, guess what time it is?" He said, a wicked grin on his face.

Shikamaru panted as he lay on the grass. Every bit of him was bruised, soiled and sore. He didn't know what Asuma had done to deserve the log or what they'd done to deserve the training but he'd set his entire being to correcting it just as soon as he could move again.

Chouji was noticably thinner due to prolonged usage of his techniques and even Ino was done in. Her hair had fallen out and she just hadn't had the time or energy to fix it.

"Drink plenty of water and eat a whole bushel of bananas when you get home tonight, it starts again tomorrow, bright and early at 5am. Meet at training area 10, last one there does 10 laps around Konoha with the princess' sister." He said, patting the log on his shoulder. He hadn't once put it down during the day, even when he had sparred with them.

The three hobbled home after their sensei had left, none having the energy or the inclination to ponder why he had just run them through the wringer. Only Chouji seemed to have any energy left at all but he was as sore as them. "Don't forget to eat tonight, I know you guys are tired but it's important to eat before bed or your body wont have the nutrients to repair itself." He opened a small box at his waist and plucked two squares of...something from it. He handed one to each of them. "Eat this too. Plenty of noodles and fruit tonight on top of this though." Too tired to argue Shikamaru forced the bar down, despite it's taste. Ino looked at it questioningly and then shrugged, then winced at the movement and forced it down as well.

They separated near the center of town with promises to Chouji to do as he suggested by eating before bed.

The following morning saw them rumpled but on time. They were all present 5 minutes early but he hadn't said, "Anyone late will run 10 laps." it had been, "Last one there will run 10 laps." Princess' sister turned out to be almost as large as the original. Shikamaru looked at the two and saw that it was a visually perfect ratio to their difference in height.

Ino had been the last one to the training area but after a lap she was unable to hold up the log any longer and both he and Chouji joined her in carrying it to make sure the task was completed. He didn't think he would have gotten any farther with the beast either.

Asuma-sensei was right there with them the entire time though, keeping pace and offering 'Princess' as an impromptu target to hurl kunai and shuriken at whenever he said, "Enemy!" Anyone who missed the hand-sized target on the log had to carry 'Lil'sis' by themselves while the other two retrieved their weapons for the next 'enemy.'

Over the next week Asuma-sensei drilled them in everything from Taijutsu to history (on days they couldn't collectively move). Princess and Lil'sis became as much of their team as their kunai and every night they rotated who had to take Lil'sis home with them.

On the first day of the second week Chouji asked the most obvious question, "Did we do something wrong, Asuma-sensei?" He was genuinely concerned, he worried about his sensei's opinion of him and it seemed as though they were being punished. Over the last week he had trimmed down after prolonged and repeated use of his bloodline talents. Shikamaru had noticed Ino sneaking glances at him when she had enough energy.

"No, Chouji-san. This is hard because I've failed to train you as I should have, I'm trying to make up for lost time. We've been team 10 for almost 3 months now and you are almost 3 months behind. We have three more weeks to catch up and I don't want to fail you. This is how I was trained, minus the twins and it worked." He paused and gathered them all in with a look. "I know it's hard but the prize is worth it."

Chouji perked up at the mention of a prize. One of Asuma-sensei's ways of motivating Chouji was bribing him with food and the genin was hoping that a barbeque trip was at the end of all this training.

"Not that sort of prize." He said, smiling sadly. "Follow me." He fumbled as they walked but still managed to smoke while holding the tree trunk. While they followed their sensei Shikamaru observed the log. It was marked and pitted and wearing smooth where it rubbed against the shoulders of his flak jacket. They weren't any closer to figuring out the reason behind it but it was becoming less important lately.

They walked for almost 20 minutes before Shikamaru figured out their destination, but why he was leading them to the academy he could only guess.

They didn't enter the schoolyard, simply stood at the gates looking at the academy. Ino started to say something but Asuma shushed her. "You'll see in a minute." They waited, juggling Lil'sis between them until there was a sharp ringing from the academy and children began running out of the double doors, jumping and laughing, giggling and screaming.

They all looked at him questioningly and despite Chouji deferring to Shikamaru in most matters he was the first to figure out what Asuma meant.

The Akimichi nodded somberly and walked a little ways into the woods behind the academy. They heard a muffled, "Baiku no-jutsu!" from him and when he returned he was carrying his own log, every bit as large as Lil'sis but from that day on he was not without it and wouldn't let anyone else carry it for him.

They passed the majority of the next month in this manner. Shikamaru and Ino weren't strong enough to claim their own logs but Ino was determined to catch up to Chouji and carried it more often than Shikamaru.

t wasn't until three days before the final exam that they all spoke about the upcoming invasion. It felt odd talking about it, even in the safety of the Sarutobi residence but he had things that he needed to get done in the last three days. Not the least of which was informing the rest of the rookie teams about the impending invasion.

He had been agonizing about the timing of informing them. Too early and the information could slip out, too late and they wouldn't be prepared. He finally decided on telling them the day before the actual bouts.

"I'll be with the rest of the finalists during the beginning of the matches, waiting for my turn but you three will be out in the crowd. Be looking for any aberrant behavior, suspicious activities, but most of all, explosives. It's my best guess on how he's going to isolate the Hokage from the last of his guards." He glanced at Asuma-sensei who nodded quietly.

Asuma took over the briefing. "Our priorities haven't changed, as a genin team our primary responsibility will be removing non-shinobi civilians from any embattled areas." He showed them a map of the arena and surroundings areas. He then began pointing at the various exits and different evacuation routes extolling the pros and cons for each and had them repeat them back to him.

"Under no circumstances are you to actively seek engagement with enemy shinobi." He looked at them all pointedly. "Evacuation and protection of civilians only. Given what we know about how the enemy thinks, you should also be on the lookout for shinobi dressed as civilians. Watch each other's backs. When the fighting starts, Jonin will all be engaged in removal so you're on your own. Remember your training and remember your priorities, listen to Shikamaru." Ino sniffed at this but Chouji nudged her and she blushed.

That night they ate dinner together at Chouji's favorite barbeque restaurant but not even the Akimichi could summon much of an appetite.

It was his night for Lil'sis but they hadn't trained at all during the day, using the last four days to recover, and he wasn't tired yet. Instead he wandered Konoha in the moonlight, going over the countless possibilities for the invasion. Conflict within the walls of Konoha was not historically impossible or even uncommon but it was the first time he had ever been through one. The walls of his home had always seemed so safe, impregnable with the famous God of Shinobi bearing the Konohagakure mantle of Hokage.

Nothing was impossible given enough time, it was a physical law of their universe. All he could think about was the Hokage's hat coming off and his old, wrinkled brow. He looked so frail.

He wanted to head to the tower but the Old Man had enough on his plate already without having to comfort a rookie genin. If they had found out something new in the last month they would have told him. I hope. He hefted the thick leather strap they had affixed to Lil'sis and readjusted it on his shoulder. A spike of killing intent fell over him like a wave crashing against a rock.

Engulfed in the hateful aura he trembled slightly, trying to convince himself that at night, he was a force to be reckoned with by even jonin standards. His self assurances fell flat on their face when he looked up to a low roof and saw Gaara of the sand staring at him. Already the sand in his gourd was slithering out along the roof around him like some dry tentacled beast searching blindly for a morsel.

"It's...worse when the moon is out. She talks to me then." His face was silhouetted by the moon and Shikamaru couldn't see the expression on it but the only quality of the sand shinobi's voice that he could single out in his fear was "Insanity" Time to be somewhere else.

"Mother needs blood." He said, his voice rising in pitch slightly. The sand shinobi tittered softly, raising the hair on the back of Shikamaru's neck. A quick plan formed in his head just before the sand surged forward. He spun once and threw Lil'sis as hard as he could towards the sand shinobi and followed the log with a kunai trailing an exploding tag. The kunai thudded into the log solidly and exploded, lighting up the night sky and tripling the trajectory of the log, sending it crashing into a wall of sand that flew up in front of Gaara. The sand knocked the log away just as the first tendrils latched onto Shikamaru's ankles.

He waited until he heard a distant thud, the sand closing over his ankles then calves and thighs. Finally the log landed and he disappeared in a puff of smoke, kwarmi'd with the log the sand ninja had brushed off. Gaara looked at the face they had carved into the wood, a smiling, female shape with a tiara on her head and screamed in rage.

Shikamaru was running even before the smoke cleared, the enraged and inhuman roars behind him only spurring him faster. He didn't stop until he was well within the Nara compound.

He explained the encounter to Asuma and the rest of the team the next morning but there was little they could do about it so close to the actual invasion time. He warned them about wandering around at night and placed a curfew of 5 o'clock. Like I need it now. He thought grumpily. Still, today was the day he had to gather the rookie teams up. He'd already talked to Chouji and Ino about it as soon as he was finished briefing Asuma they excused themselves and they went about gathering the genin teams.

They all met back at the Yamanaka flower shop, utilizing the warded 'quiet' room. Tenten and Neji were the last to arrive and the excitement of the upcoming finals was causing some friction. After calming the third group of fights that had threatened to break out he was happy to see the Hyuga and Tenten striding into the shop.

With all the teams present he began to explain what he knew and what he suspected was going to happen. Neji had already been told some of it because of his involvement with the Kakashi ruse but the others listened in raptly with very few comments until he was finished. Naruto and Sakura exchanged glances and he knew they had figured out why Kakashi had been eerily absent and Sasuke was not quite himself.

"Is Sasuke alright?" This from Naruto. He had expected the question from Sakura and it threw him for a moment. "As far as I know he's still being held and is fine. They're keeping him away from danger until the full reason for Orochimaru's interest in him has been revealed."

He waited until the general murmur had died down and he continued. "During the final exam, keep your eyes open for anything out of the ordinary. I suspect explosives are going to be used in the main stadium. I'm hoping Neji and Hinata will be able to detect them."

"What does this Orochimaru want with the Hokage?" From Naruto, he looked as though the entire thing was completely ludicrous.

Shikamaru sighed, "He wants to kill him." Naruto and Kiba both growled. The old man was widely loved, especially in the academy. He had visited almost every day and had subbed for lectures that their instructors just couldn't attend.

"I know the jonin chose not to tell you because it wasn't deemed worth the risk of it getting back to Orochimaru that we knew. Even only a day away from the finals the risk is still incredibly high. Guard your mouths and keep your actions within the bounds of normal behavior. Not only is the Hokage at risk if we fail but the rest of Konoha as well."

"There's gotta be more we can do for the old man." Kiba chipped in. Shikamaru shook his head. "He said he will take care of Orochimaru and I believe him. He is not the God of Shinobi because he needs genin looking after him. Trust him to do his job just as he trusts us to do ours." It felt odd repeating the Hokage's words back to his peers. "Evacuation and safeguarding civilians. Before the attack starts, just keep your eyes open and be aware. Don't risk exposure unless the intelligence is extremely vital." He finished after a few more questions and staggered outside feeling worn out from just standing in front of them. He didn't realize how tense he had been until it was over with.

He was risking the village by telling them but he needed eyes at the tournament. He had minimized the risk as much as possible and he trusted them all. _Still...No. There's no time for second guessing now. Tomorrow will tell._

He walked through the streets where he had encountered Gaara of the Sand and all three of them looked for Lil'sis but were unsuccessful. He had started out hating the damn thing and now he was looking for it. Asuma was going to drive him insane. Chouji looked quite proud that his own log, named 'Dog of Female Persuasion', was intact and on his back.

The afternoon they spent doing as little as possible. He tried to show Ino the poetry of cloud formations but was stymied. She was just too twitchy to sit still for long. She and Chouji had a kunai competition while he watched his clouds for the first time in what seemed like months.

A rising sense of dread followed him into evening as they made their separate ways back home. He hit his door at five on the dot and was greeted by his mother who wasn't yelling at him for once. "Everything alright, Shikamaru?" She said, touching his shoulder.

"I've either doomed Konoha and the Hokage to death as a result of opening my mouth or saved them." He said, letting his ponytail down and removing his shoes. Unexpectedly his mother took him into a hug he only tried halfheartedly to get out of.

"Just like your father." She said, smiling at him with eyes that were brimming.

"You should go to aunties until this blows over, ma." He said, wondering why his father hadn't already told her to go.

He got his answer shortly in the form of a rap on the head with her bony knuckles. He winced and rubbed the offended area briskly. "That's just like your father too and you could do with less of that. I'm not going anywhere, this is my home. You two just better keep them off my doorstep for pity's sake or I'll really give them something to worry about." There was no smile this time but a mischievous glint in her eyes spoke volumes.

He lay awake in bed late into the night until sleep finally wrestled him into submission.

Guy strutted through the stands. There was no other word for it. He looked like a rooster as he took anyone that met his eye aside and explained how all three of his students had made it to the finals. While he was proud, most especially of his genius Lee!, this served another purpose as well. He was taking attention away from the Hyuuga clan members that were scanning the stands looking for anything out of the ordinary. He caught sight of 'Sasuke' and made his way over to him. The chance to annoy his long-time rival was too good to pass up.

"Sasuke-kun! Where is your emphatically icy teacher? To show my rival the true meaning of the power of youth I will take you under my wing for the day and show you what it means to be a part of team Guy." Kakashi must have been working on his Sasuke groans because the one that escaped his mouth sounded quite authentic.

"Being a part of team Guy means you get the youthful training you need to succeed as a ninja. You will notice, from the roster, that all my students have made it to the final exam but no one from team Kakashi has." He patted Sasuke on the shoulder causing his knees to buckle. "This is not a reflection on you or your youthful team mates! You must fan flames of your youth and burn brightly though, no matter what your teacher says!"

'Sasuke' had little choice but to allow himself to be lead around by Guy, listening to his power of youth speech again.

Shikamaru exited the arena waiting rooms with the rest of the eight genin taking part of the exam. While his participation was still a part of his supposed punishment, that wasn't common knowledge in the stands so they were treating him like any other participant for the time being. They walked to the center of the arena where they were introduced to the crowd and given the rules for the bouts all at once. The first match between Neji and Lee started as soon as they were back in the waiting room.

He avoided looking at Gaara while he was there and for his part Gaara seemed to be completely oblivious to him or their encounter, ignoring him as he ignored everyone else in the room.

Rock Lee wasn't afraid of letting too much go with Neji. They had agreed beforehand that an extended battle or lasting injury would not be in the best interest of Konoha when an invasion was possible. The village would need every able bodied shinobi to help clear the stands. As such they had agreed, mutually, that Neji would win with a single tenketsu strike after Lee made a show of his incredible speed.

The rivaly was still there but even Lee saw the necessity of setting it aside for a greater cause.

Shino and Hinata both filed out for their fight, likely they had come to the same conclusion minus the rivalry aspect because after a few short minutes of battle they returned, Shino limping slightly from a well placed Jyuuken strike.

Kankuro abdicated his place, refusing to fight Gaara.

He began to sweat, the matches were progressing too quickly. They were forcing Orochimaru's hand. He needed to give the other shinobi more time to ferret out the infiltrators.

As the senbon chewing jonin started their fight he said a silent apology to Tenten and leapt into the trees of the multi-terrain arena floor. He could play this off as just waiting for longer shadows when he was actually just watching the stands from the cover of the trees.

The Hokage smiled broadly at the 'Kazekage' he'd seen through that henge about two seconds after the Kazekage had sat down. If he hadn't, the unusual interest that the Kage was showing in a genin that hadn't even made it to the finals was a dead giveaway. _Orochimaru, you never considered me stupid_.

He was relieved that Kakashi had kept Sasuke hidden away in the torture and interrogation chambers below Konoha. The Kazekage couldn't stop staring at the boy's henge.

That he saw through Orochimaru's ruse was a small victory. What it implied was a much bigger problem. The Kazekage had guards with him and they were most definitely not henged. Which meant Orochimaru had fooled an entire hidden village into believing he was their leader. A hidden village that was within Konoha's walls with a force of over a hundred shinobi.

If Orochimaru wasn't exposed as an imposter or didn't expose himself there was a risk of a false war with Suna, a war that would cost both sides dearly.

He didn't allow any of this to show on his face, instead he adopted a playful demeanor. Just easing possible tension between two Hokages. "I'm sorry, Kazekage-sama. Sasuke didn't make it past the semi-finals. Hyuuga Neji won out over him. It was a close thing though, very talented young men both." He felt the two scrolls pushing against his ribs and took comfort in them. He may die today but he was definitely not going to be unprepared.

Kakashi/Sasuke blinked as a huge genjutsu fell over the stadium, making everyone sleepy. He watched as eyes drooped and heads nodded downward. Immediately he suppressed his chakra, interrupting the illusion and felt it slide off of him as well as the henge. Guy had already done the same and they began the task of cleaning the stadium of unwanted guests.

Sakura woke Naruto and Kiba just in time to shriek as a sand shinobi landed in front of her. Guy-sensei intercepted him and sent the man flying down to the arena with a single swipe. It looked like about as much effort as it took most people to skip a stone.

"Start the evacuation as soon as the genjutsu is interrupted." The still-smiling jonin ordered them. Sakura and Naruto nodded, both were still slapping Kiba awake. Akamaru was anxiously licking the boys face.

Shikamaru had suppressed his chakra along with Tenten when the genjutsu fell over the stadium. _Not explosives! _His mind screamed at him. That thought was just in time for the Kage box exploding in a ball of brilliant orange flame. He looked up and saw 6 shapes streaking for a nearby rooftop.

A gigantic purple box was erected around the Hokage and the traitorous Orochimaru. Shikamaru saw an anbu burst into flames as he made contact with it. _I didn't know that technique existed_. _He's_ _isolated the Hokage now_.

All his planning was falling to pieces around him. The only good that came from being on the arena floor was when Neji and Hinata showed up. "The Genjutsu is coming from a localized source, inside the stadium interior." Both the Hyuuga looked at him.

"Take Shino with you, his bugs are immune to Genjutsu." Shino nodded and the three took off to deal with the genjutsu user. He hoped the man wasn't a heavy combat specialist but the probability was low. Anyone with Genjutsu of this magnitude was more likely to be a one trick pony.

"Lee, find Guy or Kakashi and let them know about the genjutsu user then wait to begin evacuation." Lee actually saluted before he blurred off. He blinked, half crazed in the smoke and madness. He had just opened his mouth to address Tenten when she batted a kunai away, likely saving his life. "Thanks." He said simply, feeling useless in the battle thus far.

Tenten spoke before he could give her direction, "They have enough for the evacuation. I think I'll just make sure you can keep giving orders without worrying about a kunai in the back of the head." Her voice was so cheery that he couldn't help but laugh, despite the carnage of the scene. "Then lets go see if we can help the Hokage."

Hyuuga Hiasha was not a man with a great deal of patience for fools. The instant the genjutsu went off he was moving towards it, trusting his clans bloodlimit to lead him in the right direction. He arrived only slightly after his daughter and nephew. While the Sound-nin was not versed in direct combat he was a jonin and capable of fighting at a chuunin level. Neji was bleeding from a laceration over his eye and Hinata was limping heavily. Only the Aburame seemed uninjured but his insects were no where to be seen either.

"Return to the arena and help with the evacuation. You have done well to find this...fool." He said, and watched them leave. He adopted his personal jyuuken stance. While the Gentle Fist was superior in form and fuction to any other taijutsu, he had modified certain parts of it to fit his body type. He was quite a bit stronger than his daughter or nephew, his style reflected this.

His Byakuugan scanned the man flawlessly, cataloging every tiny nuance of his body.

After deeming that the ninja had no inherit value as a specimen for study he dispatched him quickly, cleaving through chest with a chakra-bladed hand and rending his heart almost in two.

He almost spat. Leaving their largest measure of crowd control un-guarded was the epitome of stupid. He saw the lacy genjutsu fall to pieces immediately and tried to ignore the blood on his sleeve as he made his way back up to the arena stands.

Chouji and Ino were leading civilians to the southern group assembly. They had decided, during Shikamaru's meeting, not to designate different areas for different rookie members. Deciding on the spot allowed for a certain degree of flexibility and as they all gathered Neji had assigned them different routes, all away from the growing battle at the gates. Their own meeting point was also where the academy student and civilian children had been placed that morning, prior to the start of bouts. They were nearing the underground bunker when Ino shouted something.

Chouji turned around just in time to see one of the 'civilians' clout her on the side of the head. She fell to the ground. 4 more 'civilians' stepped out of the crowd, dropping their disguises and donning sound Hitai-ate.

"The kiddies in there, fatass? Orochimaru-sama wanted a batch of new test subjects...maybe even a few recruits." Not knowing the danger they were in the Konohamaru corps burst through the steel-barred doors and began gesturing wildly for the remaining people to get inside.

Rage would normally have followed the 'fatass' remark but now he was only afraid. Afraid that he wasn't going to be enough. Afraid that he was going to fail at the one time in his life when he couldn't afford to. Terrified of what would happen to the children should he fail.

His hand closed around a pill box and he dumped the first of what he expected to be the last three pills of his life into his mouth, swallowing dry.

"Baiku no-jutsu!"

The Hokage watched in horror as Orochimaru summoned the fallen Hokages. He lunged forward and put his entire being into disrupting the third box. Of the four Hokages that had reigned over Konohagakure, the fourth would have been a 50/50 battle in his prime, let alone as an old man.

The box relented and sank back into the ground to his great relief. He took the first scroll from his robe and bit his thumb. Spreading the blood over the sheet he slammed his hand into the ground and brought back Enma, the Monkey King in staff form.

The First and Second Hokage made their apologies, something that disgusted him for Orochimaru to make them do but as he forgave them he was not paying respect to the rotting meat in front of him but to the men they had been. It was a gift to see them again but not in such a manner. "You've fallen far, Orochimaru. It's time to correct my mistake."

Orochimaru laughed androgynously and hissed at him, "Not this time, sensei. This time I win and prove to everyone who the strongest ninja in the world is."

The Hokage took the second scroll from his robe and used his still bleeding thumb to mark another long swipe on the paper. This time, as he punched the ground Jiraiya stepped out of the mist with a grim look on his face. "Hiruzen-sensei." Both Jiraiya and the Hokage stared at Orochimaru, it was long moments as Orochimaru tried to fit this into his plan.

The dead Hokages struck first, interrupting the silence. Enma hummed in his hands as he brought the Monkey King to bear on his predecessors.

Shikamaru had screamed at, cajoled and finally threatened the closest anbu into taking up positions at the four corners of the barrier in order to at least capture the nin responsible for it no matter the outcome. Seeing the arena mostly empty he deigned not to assist with the evacuation. Obviously one of the rookie nine had taken charge of the assignments and he'd only get in the way with questions now.

He didn't even think about the Suna team until Tenten sailed past him noiselessly, knocked unconscious by a blast from the kunoichi's fan.

He heard a small impact behind him and turned to see Naruto striding towards him. "I'll take care of Gaara. You'll have to take care of the other two though." Is that all? He thought sarcastically.

"What makes you think you can handle Gaara, brat?" Kankuro barked at him. Before Naruto could shoot back with a response Gaara spoke up. "You're like me. You've got one inside you, just like mother." He let loose a high screeching blast of laughter. "I'm going to kill you!"

"Then get your dead ass moving!" Naruto taunted and then he was gone, racing up the side of the arena wall and through a hole in the outer wall. _That was actually pretty smart, Naruto. You've isolated him, I hope you're walking him into a trap. He's too much for you alone._

Kankura gestured at the kunoichi, "Go ahead with Gaara, I'll handle this one."

As she turned to leave he threw a kunai in her direction, just in front of her. "It makes more sense to double-team me and both go together. A force divided is a force twice as easy to conquer." _Maybe a carpenter. All the clouds you can stare at during lunch breaks._

"The idiot is right, even if it means his death." The kunoichi grunted. She wasn't very lady-like for being moderately attractive. She swept her fan in front of her and he dodges to the side. She was anything but attractive as her face curled into a snarl.

He was banking on what little observations he had made on them and Suna in general in the short period of time they'd quartered in Konoha. Gaara was not a team player. There was no synergy in their team between Gaara and the other two. He was hoping that Gaara had poisoned their teamwork as a whole with his inability to work with them and that these two weren't used to fighting with each other against a common enemy. It was his only hope. Other than a jonin showing up that is.

He carefully moved away from Tenten without appearing to, he didn't doubt that they would use her to their advantage if they considered her one of his weaknesses.

The puppet immediately lunged towards him, clicking and clacking menacingly. He dodged, barely falling flat and then bounding up to his feet. A gust of chakra enhanced wind took him off his feet and raised small cuts on his arms and one across his cheek. The second time the puppet came around he positioned it between him and the incoming wind blast.

"That wont work, you lazy brat. Crow is immune to her attacks." Kankuro called out, laughing as his fingers danced along the chakra strings.

He spit out the dust in his mouth and looked at the undamaged puppet. He had suspected as much and had hoped that this part of his plan would not result in it's destruction.

Removing the puppet from the equation was one of his top priorities, they were both using long rang attacks where he was a medium range shinobi. He had to get closer to be effective. He wanted to take out the puppet and the puppeteer in one strike though. There was no telling how many other puppets the Suna nin could summon at whim.

He allowed them to maneuver him against the wall, not the wall with the shadows growing under it, they had seen his talents. _Observant at least. _He thought, even as he dodged a flying spike from the puppet that would have likely torn through his heart. As the puppet darted in he spit in his palm, his other hand ducking into his thigh holster. He had to get close for this.

His hand came out of the holster with a trio of gas bombs, the first he exploded right at his feet and everything was enveloped in a grey cloud of smoke.

Kankuro smirked. _Not very bright using smoke with Temari here. _As he thought it, Temari swept her fan around in a controlled arc and blasted the smoke away, injuring the shadow nin further.

The smoke screen was almost immediately replaced by a second bomb but not before Kankuro saw him dart between Temari and him. _That's not going to work, leafy._

Just as Temari swept her fan across the field there was a teeth jarring ~POW!~ from inside the smoke screen. He'd never heard the sound before. An explosive tag was more of a crumping noise and produced a huge fire ball with the purpose of catching unwary shinobi in the radius. This caused no fire at all. Temari's wind technique blasted the smoke right towards him but it was gone almost as quickly as it had enveloped him.

Kankuro had just enough time to see Crow and the gaping hole in it's chest billowing toxic gas that he himself had placed there before his vision went blurry and he fell to his knees, poisoned.

Temari roared in frustration as she saw Kankuro go down, seeing the telltale signs of his own poison working at his system. He now had three hours before he was beyond the help of the antidote. _He'll be weak and unable to move for 2 days though. I have to get him away from Konoha. I have to find Gaara too...how'd did this all go so wrong? _She thought, trying to shove her growing panic down. The shadow-nin threw the last gas bomb in her direction but a blast of air caught it before it ever touched ground and threw it into the air.

A kunai flashed in the sunlight and the bomb exploded over their heads. She brought her fan around to disperse it but a weight settled over her forcing her breath out and freezing her hands.

Shikamaru panted as he said, "Kagemane successful." He leaned down on his knees and watched the Suna kunoichi do the same. He stayed there for as long as he dared, trying to get his breathing under control and keep his chakra output steady. As the smoke began to clear he felt the shadow it produced thinning and he walked towards the kunoichi as she walked towards him, reducing the distance between them.

When the line of shadow had become as thick as his wrist again he stopped. "He has an antidote, right?" He said, still a little out of breath.

He felt her try to nod and then give up. In a strained voice she said, "Yes."

Shikamaru nodded, "I've got about another ten seconds of chakra left to hold you." He took a kunai from his holster and watched her perform the same movement, though she had no holster. He then tossed the kunai to her and caught it with her hand. Her hand came up and held the kunai to her eye.

"I don't want to hurt a girl. Especially one that's fighting under false pretenses. If you'll agree to surrender, we can give your team mate the antidote and I'll explain how Suna has been tricked into starting a war with Konoha." He watched as the kunai trembled in her hand as his hold over her began to weaken.

"Ok." She said, her eyes locked on the tip of the kunai only inches away from blinding her.

He released the kagemane and made his way to Tenten. After assuring himself that she was simply unconscious he fell onto his backside. He leaned back on his hands and watched with half-interest as the Suna kunoichi walked over to her fallen team mate and rifled through his pockets until she found what she was looking for. Carefully she propped him onto her thigh and forced the antidote into his mouth. That's a bit tender for just team mates. Maybe boyfriend too? He thought idly. He hadn't thought of that.

"I have to get to Gaara." She said, looking up from Kankuro to lock eyes with Shikamaru.

He shook his head, "Naruto knows that Suna was tricked. He wont kill him if it can be helped." He leaned forward again, resting his elbows against his legs. "He's insane. You know that right?" She nodded, looking sad.

"Insane or not, he's still my brother. I have to try to get him back under control before he lets Shukaku out." She lay Kankuro down gently but his face was already less pale.

"Who's Shukaku?" Shikamaru asked, not recognizing the name.

"The one tailed beast." She said, climbing to her feet.

"Shit." He said, also climbing to his feet. The kunoichi nodded somberly.

"We can't leave them here in the middle of nothing. If nothing, they'll be attacked by either side. Lets get them somewhere safe and then we can find your brother." He leaned down and picked up the unconscious Tenten, hefting him over her shoulder. At least she weighs less than Lil'sis.

Jiraiya's rasengan crashed into the first Hokage's corpse, flinging him into the barrier and removing him from the battle. Already he could tell that Hiruzen was tiring. _I bet you're so proud of yourself, Orochimaru. Standing toe to toe with the God of Shinobi._ He shook his head. _You're only fighting a tired old man now. One that loved you. _

Sarutobi belched mud at Orochimaru, covering him in the sticky mess. Jiraiya let go of a great fire blast, baking the mud dry in a flash.

Nara Shikaku landed on the roof just opposite of Inoichi and Choza at the impromptu barrier. For his own target he didn't need Choza's help. His hands blurred almost as fast as Inoichi's did and the fat-guy behind the barrier stiffened as he felt heavy shadows crawling up his side and latching onto his neck.

Shikaku squeezed until he heard his neck snap and the barrier flickered slightly.

Inoichi wrested control of the multi-armed ninja's mind from him easily, shoving him into a corner of his furtive brain. He released the technique he had been using and had just enough time to retreat back into his own mind as Choza yelled, "Incoming!" The sound-nin screamed as two giant hands clapped around him, crushing him in a gory mess.

Choza blanched as his hands returned to their normal size and he tried to shake them off, careful not to rub them on his clothes. "I should have rolled up my sleeves. I've got sound-nin between my fingers." He bent over and scraped the majority of the blood and ichor off on the roof tiles, his face screwed up in a disgusted look.

With two points of the rectangle removed the barrier fell instantly, leaving the last two sand shinobi to be taken by the anbu that were waiting not a meter from them.

"To the Hokage!" Inoichi yelled and they all charged into the twisted mass of chakra-grown trees.

Ok, if this seems rushed let me know. 10k words in a day and a half. The first one took me like 3 weeks. I'll keep plinking away at this. It's too much fun to put down.

If you have any questions or ideas I can be reached at my AIM. I don't watch it all the time but I check it at least once a day. I just figured out how to read the reviews so that works too.

Aim: Kagemanesuccess

Anbu-dave


	3. Chapter 3: Fear and Loathing

Kagemane Complete

Chapter 3: Fear and Loathing

Shikamaru 's vision blurred and sweat poured off of him as he sprinted up the last of the hospital stairs. His mind was still trying to wrap itself around what the Hokage had told him about Chouji. The Hokage's tower wasn't far from the hospital but he'd been shambling in exhaustion hours ago. The sudden adrenalin burst and subsequent run had left him weak and trembling.

As he neared the door to his best friend's hospital room he slowed, leaning against the wall with his head hanging. He clutched at the stitch in his side but that wasn't what had stopped him. He wanted to think the reason for his trepidation was the chance to calm himself so he wouldn't wake his friend if he was sleeping. The real reason was that he was afraid to see Chouji.

He hadn't been told anything specific about his injuries, only that they were extensive and that only family member and team mates were being allowed in to see him. In his mind that meant he was in critical condition. _How? _His plan hadn't involved any of them attempting to quell the invasion. It ran exactly along the lines of the shinobi rulebook. Something must have gone wrong. Something he didn't plan for.

Guilt, hot and painful, rose in his stomach. He'd been too caught up in the larger picture and had missed something. He took a few steadying breaths and wiped his face off on his sleeve, hoping the sweat had taken the majority of dirt with it as well.

He walked the last few steps to the door and pushed it open as if it might explode, his sense of dread increasing as the medicinal smells of the hospital filled his nose. The door opened silently revealing the room a little at a time. His heart skipped as he saw a small lump under the blanket that had to be Chouji's foot. It was nearing dusk and sunlight filtered into the room, golden and warm. A curtain had been drawn around the bed for privacy but with the sun back lighting it he could see Ino's ponytail silhouetted next to the bed.

As he walked around the curtain he saw the extent of his friends injury. The entire left side of his head was bandaged but he couldn't tell why. His face was a hodgepodge of bruises, cuts and lumps, completely changing his normally jovial face into something raw. He could tell, even under all that damage, that his face was painfully thin, almost emaciated. Ino had already beaten him here, had been here for a full day already and was sleeping, her head resting on Chouji's chest.

His right leg was elevated in a cast but it was Chouji's left hand that filled his vision. Set in complete immobility and surrounded by a glow of chakra his left hand had been stitched back on. It was gray and wrinkled and it looked dead, like someone had taken Chouji's good hand and replaced it with something from an opened grave.

The world spun crazily for a moment and then everything went black as he fainted dead away.

Shikamaru's mind took him back through the events the day before.

He and Temari had deposited Kankuro and Tenten with Neji who had reappeared looking a little worse for the wear after dealing with the genjutsu user. None knew where Naruto had gone. It wasn't until much later that Asuma found an exhausted Naruto laying next to an equally defeated Gaara. Shikamaru didn't allow himself time to readjust his way of thinking about Naruto. There was just too much to be done and he'd hear that story eventually.

Orochimaru's four lieutenants had been either killed or captured after the barrier fell but Oorochimaru himself had escaped, minus the fabled Kusanagi sword, sealed into a python and then fed to one of the Toad Hermit's frog summons. He'd been meaning to learn more about it but Jiraiya wasn't likely to be leaving any time soon.

Thanks to the efforts of the Hyuuga clan the majority of the Sound-shinobi were rounded up before the attack ever came. Unless Orochimaru had only dedicated a small portion of his forces to the assault he had suffered noticeable personnel losses.

Suna was in a lockdown pending an investigation into the death of their Kazekage, found after Orochimaru had revealed himself as an imposter.

The prisoners retained by Konoha were not being released until a conclusion was reached, however. They were being held in visiting dignitary houses though and under minor guard so as not to cause any friction in an already strained truce. He'd had a short opportunity to speak with Kankuro but it hadn't bore fruit. He still considered himself a prisoner and thus would only give oblique answers. Shikamaru was slightly buoyed by his promise to divulge their attack plans if Suna's investigation concluded favorably for their alliance.

The Hokage was injured during the attack but was expected to make a full recovery and had already started making plans to pass on his position to 'A worthy, if unwilling' successor. Shikamaru had seen him only long enough to hear about Chouji but the old man looked as gray as..._Chouji's hand. _

He had spent the last 12 hours investigating exactly what Orochimaru's attack plan had been so to better prepare himself the next time. Disproving certain assumptions he'd made as well as reinforcing correct conclusions. He was so busy trying to prove and disprove everything he had concluded that he didn't even think of checking up on his friends or his family.

Between the battle with the Suna team, the constant rollercoaster of adrenalin he'd been on and the lack of sleep his body was on the verge of a total shutdown when he had found out about Chouji's hospitalization.

Something foul filled his nose and he felt himself being drawn back into the light.

When he woke it was to a mildly concerned medic-nin waving something under his nose. He coughed and his eyes watered. Pushing the medic away he blinked and tried to get his bearings again. The room was still lit by the sun but it was rapidly darkening. Ino was still seated next to Chouji but she was awake now and looking at him with reddened eyes. Her hair and clothes both looked slept in and she had a large bruise near her temple but was otherwise unharmed. As waved off the medic-nin the only sound he could hear was the steady beeping of Chouji's heart monitor.

When he finally calmed he pulled up a chair next to Ino and spoke, though his voice was raw and he found that he was crying. "What happened?" It sounded lame, even in his ears. _What happened? _He bit his tongue, hard. _I meant to say, 'What did I forget?' _

"They were hidden in the crowd, just like Asuma-sensei said." She began, her voice sounding dead to him. There was no inflection and she wasn't looking at him, only staring out the window at nothing. As she paused she seemed to come back to herself and instead moved her gaze back to Chouji's face, looking for some sort of change. He wasn't sure she was in her right mind at the moment but he still wanted to hear what had happened.

"We took the south route, where they had the students hidden. There was four of them." She stroked Chouji's hair, pushing a stray clump away from his face. "Not anymore, Chouji...you got them all."

"He...they wanted the kids. Oorochimaru sent them for more test subjects. I...saw two and I tried to warn him. " Her voice caught and her face broke into a look of anguish that she quickly mastered though tears still streaked down her face. "There was one behind me and he hit me. I only know what Konohamaru told me after I woke up. He was like this, they cut off his hand, Shikamaru." She began crying in earnest now, sobs shaking her shoulders as she rested her forehead against his bed. Shikamaru reached out a hand to comfort her and she rounded on him in a fury, her eyes bright and hateful. The tears had cleaned tracks down her dirty face making her look like some deranged kabuki dancer.

"And where were you, you piece of shit?" She demanded, careful to keep her voice low so as to not disturb him. Her teeth were visible as her lips pulled back in a snarl. "Staring at your clouds? Too lazy to help your best friend or just too stupid?" Her quiet ferocity frightened him and he found himself standing again, backing away from her. He tried to think of what he had been doing. Tried to remember anything that could have been worth him not being there for his friend.

She hiccupped and stood, facing him in a shaky combat pose. As beat as he was, she looked worse but he didn't doubt that she would try. "Leave Shikamaru." She said, her voice going quiet. It was somehow worse than the spitting, harsh whisper. "If I see you back here I'll walk you out of the window." She put her hands in the all-too familiar symbol of her mindswap technique and he nodded, realizing she was right. He bowed formally and deeply to her and retreated, shame burning in his face and ears. As soon as he was out of earshot of the room he began running again, ignoring the stitch in his side and the ache in his heart.

One thought hammered in his mind as his feet carried him to the Hokage tower. _Tsunade can heal him. _Of all the ninja in the world, she was known to be, by far, the most talented and learned medical ninja. It was a welcome happenstance that she was also the one person the Hokage had deemed worthy to succeed him.

* * *

He rounded the corner to the Hokage's office and the two chuunin opened the door for him, too used to see him over the last day and a half to think anything of it.

The Hokage was seated at his desk and Asuma, for once without his log or a cigarette, was standing in front of him giving a report. Shikamaru cut in, not bothering to excuse himself. If he had the energy to think about it, he would have known he was seeking punishment. Anything to atone for what he'd seen in the hospital. "You're going to name Tsunade your successor. I want to be on the team that brings her back."

The Hokage, instead of growing impatient with the interruption as he had thought (hoped) he would, only looked at him, slightly saddened. "May I ask why?" He said, his voice soft.

"She can heal Chouji." He said, willing his voice not to crack. For a wonder it didn't and he even staved off the tears. The shame was deep and hollow within him though and it showed no signs of abatement.

"He's expected to live, Shikamaru." Asuma said, gently. Had _everyone _been there but him already? He shoved down the self loathing, there was work to be done first.

"His hand isn't...recovering." He said, choking on the word. _Forever need help with buttons because Shikamaru can't be bothered to pay attention to details. _

Asuma turned to him and reached out his hand. Shikamaru shrugged off the touch and spoke again, "When does the mission start?" He said, spearing the Hokage with his eyes.

"The day after tomorrow." This didn't come from the Hokage though but from a voice behind him. One of the sannin, Jiraiya stood in the doorway looking at him.

"We leave today." He said, giving the sannin the same look.

"Shikamaru..." The Hokage began but the genin interrupted him.

"We leave today or I'll commission my own mission to bring her back. I have 62 million Ryu at my disposal. I will be leaving today, one way or another." That statement wasn't entirely true. His clan had around 60 million Ryu at their disposal. They were the leading supplier of medicinal supplies in Konohagakure. By fair means or foul he could get his hands on a promissory note for that much though.

The sannin nodded and looked back at the Hokage, "I'm taking the brat too. It'll help convince her." The Hokage nodded and Shikamaru walked to the door. He stopped only to speak to the sannin. He still hadn't even acknowledged his sensei's presence other than to shrug him off.

"Which way are we heading?" He asked, his voice breaking this time, he was looking at the sannin's hand for some reason. _Too ashamed to look anyone in the eye, that's why. Never touch his children with that hand. _

"East." He said, not quite sure what to make of the genin. Shikamaru nodded. "I'll meet you at the east gate in 2 hours." Then he left to make what preparations he could.

Jiraiya waited until the door had closed behind the genin. "That the one you were talking about?" He asked, quirking an eyebrow at his old sensei. The Hokage nodded and Jiraiya shook his head.

"Small shoulders for such a large burden, Hiruzen-sensei." He wasn't judging the Hokage but he did want an explanation.

"Not a burden I placed on him. He's just...smarter than we are Jiraiya. He reasoned out 2/3rds of Orochimaru's plan after learning about him second hand. It's part of the reason I have Asuma here, he's the Nara boy's jonin instructor." The Hokage removed his hat and invited Jiraiya to sit.

The aged ninja declined shaking his great mane of hair. "I need to find Naruto if I'm going to be leaving in two hours. Tsunade is going to be a tough sell even with him along."

* * *

Ino accepted the water and tray of food that the medic-nin brought her. The water she drank but the food remained untouched. _What if they don't feed him enough when he wakes up? _She knew her mind was straining to keep from snapping but she couldn't stop seeing all that blood in her head.

_A high pitched voice cut through her unconsciousness. Another slap across her face brought her eyes open and she was staring up in the pleading eyes of the Hokage's grandson, Konohamaru. "Wake up!" He said, his voice frantic._

_Her eyes snapped open, trying to recall where she was and what was happening. It came back in a painful flash but her surroundings didn't match her memory. All about her was devastation, buildings collapsed in on themselves, the nearby playground had been flattened into scrap metal and small fires everywhere were either sputtering out or gaining in ferocity. _

_"He's hurt!" Instantly she knew who he meant and climbed to her feet as quickly as her throbbing head would allow. She allowed Konohamaru to lead her through the wreckage, he led her around a pulpy mass of twisted bone and gore that she hoped fervently belonged to one of the invading forces. Bile rose in her throat but she breathed through her mouth as she'd been taught until the urge to vomit passed. _

_As she neared Chouji she let out a cry of dismay at seeing his leg, twisted and broken at a right angle, the bone poking through the skin like some horrible jack-in-the-box. _It's ok, they can fix that, he'll be ok. He'll be ok. _Her mind was babbling now but it wasn't until she saw his missing left hand that it shut up. Udon was holding a belt that had been cinched around Chouji's stump of a wrist. His knuckles white as he struggled to maintain enough pressure to stop the flow of blood. Even so it was oozing darkly and there was already a large puddle under him. _

_She turned to Konohamaru, all vestiges of the forced slumber gone, "Where is his hand?"_

_Konohamaru pointed to Moegi who was very carefully avoiding the larger debris as she carried a larger box. Inside Ino found the hand, packed in clean ice. _

_"Very good." She said, not believing that she was still talking or even moving at this point. It felt the same as when her father had been training her in the mindswap discipline. She was only a passenger to her training now instead of a passenger to his will._

_Quickly she pulled out a blood-pill from a pouch at her waist and forced Chouji to swallow with a little water. As she cradled his rigidly thin head she noticed that half of his ear was missing too. _Asthetic damage only, already clotted, not important. _The stranger in her mind informed her. _

_Next she pulled out a scroll, one that her father had given her when she had first earned her hitai-ate. On it she wrote three words. "Academy, injured, fast." And invoked the seal at the top. Tossing the now-worthless paper aside she waited, cradling Chouji's head in her hands. She placed two fingers on his carotid artery and felt for his pulse. It was thready and eratic but still there. _

_"Ino?" She was scanning to buildings and paths, praying for her father to suddenly burst into view. As Chouji spoke she didn't look down, only placed her hand on the side of his face and shushed him softly. She felt him smile against her hand and he spoke one more time._

_"Best dream ever." _

She woke with a start as someone lay a hand on her shoulder. She was preparing to make good on her promise to Shikamaru but when she turned she discovered it wasn't him but Choza, Chouji's father.

"How is he?" The huge man asked, his voice as quiet as a mouse's. He was still dirty from the invasion and his arms were covered in blood to his elbows but none was his own. She'd be surprised if she found a single shinobi that had slept yet.

"They say he's improving, that he'll live. They don't know about his...his injury. Whether or not his body will accept it back." She said. There were no more tears but that didn't stop the sobs and hiccups. She forced her voice to remain calm.

"That's the important thing, Ino. That he'll live." She nodded and Choza drapped his arm around her shoulders. He stank from the dozen battles he hadn't washed off yet but she turned to him anyways and buried her face in the silk padding of his armor.

She didn't know how long she stayed like that but eventually she broke away from him and he promised to stay put while she washed herself and ate something. "And make sure they have food in the room in case he wakes up." She admonished him and he smiled at her.

"I promise." He said, smiling at her wearily. When she left he took stock of the room. He had been in twice to see his son, the first time to ensure that he was not in mortal danger, the second as a checkup and now this time. In a little over a day the room had filled almost to bursting with cards, flowers and a well wishing.

He had passed the Konohamaru Corps on his way into the building who were being watched by wary looking medic-nin who had already had to eject them twice for trying to sneak in to see Chouji. They had set up a rotation of academy kids, three at a time, to watch the hospital and report any change in his condition to the others.

He watched Ino walk out of the front door at a quick walk. The Corps accosted her as soon as she was clear of the hospital following her halfway down the street until she gave them what news she had and they went back to waiting.

* * *

Shikamaru had returned home only briefly, just enough time to get a change of clothes, grab his travel pack and write a quick note to his parents.

_Chouji's hurt. Going to find help with Jiraiya. Back soon._

_Shikamaru_

_Don't write any promissory notes, I have all the clan funds with me._

He wouldn't have been able to comfortably carry all the funds the clan owned but he didn't want them writing money notes when he might have already written one for the entirety of their treasury.

He'd pay it back eventually. That wasn't the important part though. The one thing everyone knew about Tsunade was that she was in debt to her eyeballs. If sixty million wouldn't cover it, he'd find more along the way. He didn't care if she came back to be Hokage. If she did, fine if not she was going to make a lot of money on a house call.

He made himself nap as he waited for Jiraiya and 'the brat' that he was bringing along at the east gate. He made sure he was sitting up and uncomfortable and tried to set his internal clock to wake him in an hour. Even so, it was Naruto's loud voice that woke him up. He was talking to the Suna team that had been 'captured'.

Gaara was listening to him with comical intensity while Kankuro and Temari rolled their eyes at the blonde shinobi.

When they caught sight of Shikamaru Temari paused, seeing his disheveled appearance. "Not enough time yet to shower, lazy bones?" She said, smirking at him.

He spared her a wane smile. "Not yet, maybe tonight." She nodded and Kankuro said something sharp to her, giving Shikamaru a nasty look.

Temari brushed him off and put her hands on her hips, still looking at Shikamaru. "If we're still here when you get back, I wouldn't mind hearing about how you beat us, I'm still not too sure what happened."

He nodded to her and stood, not feeling up to a conversation. Jiraiya grinned at him and spoke in a booming voice, "All ready?"

"Naruto was the other person you were talking about?" He asked, rubbing his grainy eyes.

Jiraiya nodded and ruffled Naruto's hair, much to the genin's chagrin. "I'm going to be training him for the foreseeable future and since I have to make this trip anyways, I thought I'd get a head start on it."

Shikamaru began walking. It was already dark and he knew they wouldn't make it far but he couldn't imagine not at least beginning the trip. The guilt would have consumed him. He _had _to be doing something.

Jiraiya had lied to him, or at least lied in front of Naruto. Shikamaru knew that he intended to use Naruto as a bargaining chip of some sort. He'd heard that much in the Hokage's office. _Why keep it from Naruto though? _He thought, but the answer wouldn't come. His body and mind were far too exhausted for extrapolative thought and he resigned himself to exploring the thought later.

As he suspected, they only made it a few miles that night. They could have gone longer but Jiraiya refused to sleep on the ground.

* * *

_Shikamaru stood on top the Hokage monument, a man-sized frog standing next to him. "It's time, Shikamaru." It said somberly, staring with him out into space._

_He let the wind ruffle his hair for a moment more and then turned to face the voice. It was Jiraiya and he was yawning, his jaw cracking impossibly wide. He looked down the cavern of the sannin's throat and saw two yellow eyes peering back at him, weaving back and forth, coming into the light. He saw it was a snake and it made it's way back up from Jiraiya's stomach. The shadows of the sannin's mouth parted and he saw the snake had the Hokage's face. _

_There was a hollow knocking sound coming from the Hokage and as Shikamaru leaned closer to find out what it was the Hokage smiled at him as if he'd just heard the funniest joke on the planet. Shikamaru could see he was clenching his jaw shut. _

_The knocking was coming from behind the Hokage's teeth. As soon as he realized it, he tried to back away and a sword hilt came crashing through Sarutobi Hizune's teeth, showering him with white bits of bone. _

_Jiraiya, now next to him even though Shikamaru was looking down his throat, said, "It's time."_

_The Hokage nodded at the words, his lips split and bleeding but still grinning insanely._

_The Toad Hermit grasped Shikamaru's wrist in his hand and led him to where the sword hilt waited for him. As if his hand and the hilt were magnetized, as soon as he got close it shuddered once and slammed into his palm. _

_He drew the blade out of the Hokage's throat, watching him cough great gouts of blood but still smiling around shattered teeth and a bleeding throat._

_Jiraiya took him by the shoulders and turned him around to where Asuma and Ino were waiting for him. _

_"It's time, Shikamaru." They said, in perfect unison. Both looked down and he followed their gaze. Kneeling at his feet was Chouji. One arm was tied behind his back, the other was strapped to his log, wrist up. _

_Chouji spoke over a mouthful of chips. "It's time?" He asked, quirking an eyebrow._

_Shikamaru nodded._

_Chouji sighed dramatically, "How will I hold my chips?" He asked with tears in his eyes._

_"It doesn't matter, you'll find a way." He said in a calm voice. A small part of his mind was screaming for him to stop._

_"What about my buttons?" Chouji whined._

_"It's time, Chouji." He said, growing impatient. Everyone knew it was time. Chouji should have known as well._

_Chouji nodded, silent now._

_Shikamaru raised the sword over his head and brought it swiftly down._

He sat bolt upright, panting as sweat rolled off of him. His back felt as though a thousand, flaming ants were crawling across it and though the window was open and the night cool, his skin felt like he was sitting in a furnace. He threw the blankets off of him and leaned forward, resting his head in his hand until the dream faded somewhat.

He lay back down, uneasy about what else his subconscious would torture him with but unable to stop himself from falling back asleep.

Naruto woke up slowly. He knew the pervy sage wasn't a morning person either so he took his time with it, stretching and dozing, waking up again. Shikamaru lay on the other pallet, why he and Shika had to share and the pervert got his own room was a point of contention for him but for the moment he didn't mind.

Shikamaru had never been one of the people to single him out and if they'd spent more time together he knew they'd be better friends.

He also beat Temari _and _Kankuro by himself. _A perfect training partner. _He thought, pleased with the turn of events. The pervy sage was going to train him personally and he had a totally kick-ass sparring partner now.

_Doesn't look like himself though. _He rolled over to see Shikamaru staring up at the ceiling. "I heard Chouji got hurt. Sorry." He said, trying to break the ice.

Shikamaru harrumphed and threw off his blankets. "Sakura said he's going to be fine though." He said, not really worrying that the conversation was one sided.

"I also talked to Konohamaru, he's a brat but even he said Chouji was pretty awesome." He eyed Shikamaru who was putting his hair up.

"It's like you were all hiding your talent from us. Is Ino really the fourth stooge?" He grinned at Shikamaru, hopeful for a smirk but was disapointed.

"You beat Gaara." He said, simply.

"Well...we kinda beat each other. He was just in a bad place. Sensei called it..." He stuck out his lip and stared at the ceiling tiles for a moment. "Mind prison."

"It's when you think something that makes you act a certain way then..." He floundered and Shikamaru finished for him.

"The way you act affects how people react to you, reinforcing the thought that caused it all." The lazy ninja yawned and Naruto heard his stomach growling.

"Yeah! Anyways, Gaara thought he was...a certain way, and he kind of assumed everyone else thought so too. He's not a bad guy once you get past all the..."

"Insanity?" Shikamaru was staring at him now.

"Seems like a poor bet to me to bank on him getting any better, Naruto. I only had a single encounter with him and I'm telling you, he's crazy. Don't turn your back on him." Naruto was shaking his head and Shikamaru sighed.

"He's either insane or a sociopath, Naruto." Naruto looked like he wanted to argue but didn't.

"Lets say you killed someone on accident, bad throw on a kunai or something. How would you feel?" He had captured Naruto's attention and the genin made a face.

"Really really bad." He answered, looking forlorn.

"Exactly. Now, insanity is an affliction. One that is difficult to cast off but if you _were _to become sane, and then realized all the things you had done while your brain was making mistakes..." He left it unsaid and shrugged. "In Gaara's case, he's done some pretty terrible things to hear him tell it. If he's not crazy anymore and he's not suicidal, he's probably a sociopath."

"That's just two options. Maybe there's a third." He said, defiantly. _Like he's a jinchuuriki and had a crappy seal put on him and Shukaku was feeding him bullshit for the majority of his life. _

"I can't think of one but that would just be pretty consistent with the rest of my life lately." He looked like the picture of dejection and Naruto clapped him on the back with a grin.

* * *

Ino had rushed through her cleaning ritual, not bothering to dry her hair. _It would be just like him to wake up when I'm not there._

She went over her encounter with Shikamaru in her head as she showered and got a quick bite to eat in her family kitchen. She'd thought, at the time, that she might be overreacting but was still helpless to stop herself from the tirade.

She still felt that way though the realization didn't help her state of mind. She still had a knot of guilt in her own stomach. _Because you weren't there either. _She shook her head and looked in the mirror but had to look down again. _No one there but a burden. _

_I was there! We're a team, it was Shikamaru who broke team. If he'd been there..._ She paused and her mind shot back. _He could have what? Held your hand? He wasn't there and I'll make him pay for that but you _were _there and you were just too weak to do anything. _

She relented the internal argument and dashed out the door. It wasn't as bad when she was busy.

Her first stop was Chouji's favorite barbeque restaurant. They were still preparing to open but when she mentioned it was for an Akimichi they ushered her inside with _very _polite bows. Even before Chouji had saved the entire Konoha Academy the Akimichi's were treated as visiting royalty whenever they dined out.

It was just good business.

Her wallet slightly thinner she walked back to the hospital, a large bento in each hand. One pork and one beef. He liked beef better but her father always told her, 'Variety is the only reason you can have a favorite.'

As she was about to enter the hospital she heard a, 'psst' and looked around for the source. There, in the shadows behind one of the bushes outside the front door was the Konohamaru Corps.

"What's that?" He said, speaking in a whisper.

"Chouji's favorite barbeque." She said, smiling at the three. It was because of them as much as anything that Chouji had survived.

"He's awake?" Moegi this time. She clapped her hands in excitement but Ino stopped her short by shaking her head.

"Not yet, but I wanted to have something good for him to eat when he wakes up. He looks too thin." Konohamaru stared at the bentos for a moment and then turned to Udon and conked him on the head.

"You said a nice card. We should have been getting him food, you idiot!" Udon rubbed his head and looked put out.

"How was I supposed to know what he likes?" He whined.

Ino quirked her eyebrow at the trio. "You don't know what an Akimichi likes best?"

"We don't have any in our class." Moegi said defensively. Konohamaru nodded at this and crossed his arms. He turned to his two 'subordinates' and spoke.

"New plan. We'll need more people." Ino tapped him on the shoulder with a corner of the bento.

"If you're going to get him food..." She stared at the three of them icily and generated a small amount of killing intent. "Don't get any barbeque. It was my idea, I'm giving him his favorite."

The three stiffened and nodded emphatically before turning on their heels and making a quick escape.

She smiled to herself and walked into the hospital.

As promised, Choza was still there, looking haggard but happy. As he saw the bentos he sniffed the air. "Ah, pork and beef! Thanks, I haven't eaten since yesterday, I'm starving." He reached for the bentos and she slapped his hand sharply.

"That's not for you, Choza-sama." He grumbled something and gestured at Chouji.

"No change yet. His mother came too but couldn't stay." He looked at Ino sheepishly. "I covered his hand. I'm not asking you to lie but until we know how it's going to work out I'd prefer if you didn't go offering any information to her either. There's no use worrying her about what can't be changed."

Ino nodded to him and placed the bentos on a stand next to Choji's bed. Choza made his courtesies and was gone, leaving them alone.

Ino had brought back a book this time and began reading. Hours passed as she waited, reading and occasionally stepping out to get a glass of water. In the book the protagonist kissed his love interest awake, dispelling an ancient curse and allowing them to be together again.

She looked at Chouji dubiously and shrugged. _Better than just sitting there waiting for his hand to fall off. _She stood up and leaned against the bed. Carefully she removed the oxygen mask on his face and leaned forward, brushing her lips against his in what she hoped was a romantic manner.

Nothing happened. Three kisses later (one that bruised both their lips) and nothing continued to happen. Stymied she sat back in her chair after replacing the mask and stared at Chouji. Then she looked at the bento.

_Maybe..._

She opened the one with the beef and took a piece out between her fingers she removed the mask one more time and feeling slightly foolish, waved it under Chouji's nose.

The result was immediate. She squeeked as Chouji, still unconscious, lunged forward and yanked the beef right out of her hand. _Almost nipped a finger too. _She sighed, _so much for romance, _and pulled her chair closer to the bed.

She propped her head up with her hand and over the next hour very carefully fed him the entirety of the beef bento and half of the pork. When he started smacking his lips contentedly she stopped and couldn't help but laugh. He was smiling now and color had returned to his cheeks. They were still painfully gaunt but they would be round again in no time if she had anything to say about it. _I wonder if Asuma-sensei will go halfsies with me. _She thought, remembering her already thin wallet.

* * *

Kakashi collapsed into a boneless heap as the genjutsu was released. He could still feel the swords entering his body, over and over again.

As Guy, Asuma and Yuhi tried to fend off the two missing nin he could do little but try to keep his chakra flowing. He hadn't felt this overmatched since becoming a jonin and by someone 10 years his junior too.

He didn't notice when the battle ended but Guy lifted him as gently as Guy could do anything and a little while later he was sleeping peacefully in a hospital bed.

They had been traveling for almost a week now, ducking in and out of various villages, trying to get some hint about where Princess Tsunade was holed up. It wasn't until Jiraiya had visited another brothel (intelligence gathering posts, to hear him tell it) that they picked up their first hint about where Tsunade might be or at least had been.

The next day saw them entering a bustling trading village on the outskirts of Fire Country. They'd been admonished to stay within the confines of the inn while Jiraiya tried to find the illusive woman.

It wasn't a bad inn but Shikamaru was convinced that the Toad Hermit was an incompetent piece of perverted trash about ten minutes outside of Konoha.

The brothel intelligence had been good but he needed to be out there now, looking for this woman. Chouji's hand couldn't be kept in stasis forever. _In fact it can. _His mind rebuffed him. _His arm will heal though, they can't keep the wound fresh, stop quibbling. The point is she needs to be found fast. _

Being with Naruto was easing his guilt. It was hard to brood around Uzumaki he was just too honest and enthusiastic in everything he did.

They were in the middle of a game of Shogi on a board he had picked up in the last market when someone knocked at the door. Naruto, forever not believing in the wickedness of man, jumped up to answer it and Shikamaru stopped him with a hand on his shoulder, signaling him for silence.

_Who'd he think was knocking? It's not like Jiraiya needs to knock. _He knelt down and looked through the keyhole. The first person was too close to see, the second, a towering man with grey skin a gill-like marks on his cheeks was entirely and horribly visible.

_Jonin, village hidden in the mist...murder, missing nin. _He debated answering the door anyways, it was unlikely that either the mist ninja or his counterpart were looking for a couple of Leaf Genin but it could be that they were looking for hostages. He was the son of a clan head and everyone knew that the Hokage himself looked out for Naruto Uzumaki. He slinked to the floor and peered under door. _Robes...good. _There was only about 7 centimeters between the door and the first nin's robe and less than a meter between the robes themselves.

He straightened and set his hands in the familiar Kagemane pose. His shadow lanced out, bonded with the first nin's shadow and then continued on to the rogue mist-nin. He felt the kagemane complete but for once he was too frightened to say anything.

He spun in an attempt to backhand the other nin at the door but trying was as far as he got. The double edged sword of the kagemane was that if you ever managed to bind someone who was much stronger than you, they controlled the situation. There was a muffled conversation from the other side of the door and he felt his lips and tongue moving even as the other nin spoke.

He released his bind on the man and had just enough time to turn and yell for Naruto to run when the door exploded inwards, showering both of them with splinters and bits of wood.

"It's been a while since someone got the drop on me." The first ninja said. As the dust cleared his heart caught in his throat when he realized who had spoken.

Uchiha Itachi stood before him, his blank gaze fixing on Shikamaru. He felt at first cold and then immensely hot as adrenalin flooded his system. The combination of the two caused him to shiver uncontrollably.

"Shame you didn't make it a bit farther along in life, kiddy." The mist-nin said jovially. As he stepped towards Shikamaru the Nara knew he was looking at his own death. Slowly he removed the sword that lay, wrapped on his back and pointed down at the Shikamaru. He heard Naruto yell something as he tried to attack Itachi. Shikamaru heard a dull crash in his blood-filled ears as the genin was repelled. He could only see the mist-nin, _Kisami is his name. _Shikamaru remarked on the odd things you remembered just before you died.

He closed his eyes and waited, he was too close to dodge. Something nagged at his mind though.

_The double edge comes with a silver lining, Shikamaru. We've trained to notice the subtle differences in the mirror effect of the Kagemane, to use it to our advantage. He has not._

He drew out four kunai and held them all in one hand as he performed his bloodline jutsu. This time Kisame saw it but didn't bother to avoid it, knowing he could overpower the boy.

Shikamaru stood, forced by his shadow and faced Kisami. _He's one of the swordsman. _He tried to tell his mind to shut up but it just kept cataloging and trying to figure everything out all at once.

Kisame brought his sword to bear, the bandages shredding as it appeared to come to life, writhing in his hand. Even as he struck, all the strength that had gone into the blow was also in Shikamaru's arms and the four kunai, while scrapped badly and about to buckle from the pressure, collided with Kisame's sword in a shower of sparks, halting it completely.

Kisame, not understanding the Kagemane, tried to push harder. Shikamaru was only along for the ride as his body reacted to everything Kisame did. Three more hammerblows later and Kisame pulled back, looking perplexed.

"Itachi?" He said, looking chagrined.

Itachi didn't bother turning to him to speak. "He's thirteen, maybe fourteen and probably a genin. If you ask for my help with him I'll kill you myself."

Kisame grumbled something Shikamaru didn't catch.

_All he has to do is drop the sword and pick it up with his left hand. What a moron. _He shushed himself, hoping that particular thought didn't find itself planted in Kisame's mind.

Itachi only watched, with mild interest as Kisame hammered at his shadow with increasing fury. _Or use a ninjutsu. Or figure out that I'm right next to a sharp cornered table. _A dozen ways that he could have ended the fight ran through his head. _If I was stronger than him this would be over already. _Still the nin attacked with his sword.

Even as he thought it, Kisame sidestepped slightly, causing Shikamaru to run into the door jam. The wood splintered and he felt a bruise rising on his shoulder already. The missing nin smiled, his teeth filed down to points glinted at Shikamaru as if he were staring into the maw of a shark.

Just as Kisame was poised to move, having figured out the weakness to the jutsu, a crash sounded from the far side of the room and Shikamaru saw, out the corner of his eye, Jiraiya tumbling through empty space and exiting through the far wall with another crash and a roar of anger.

He released his jutsu and immediately scrambled away while their attention was elsewhere. Naruto was on the far side of the room, still picking himself up as Shikamaru reached him at a dead sprint. He had just enough time for a surprised, "Wha?" before they crashed through the window and fell down the two stories to land in pile of elbows and cursing.

"Get off me!" Naruto yelled. Shikamaru was glad he'd landed on top.

"Naruto, we have to escape. We can't fight those two." He said, extricating himself from the agitated blond. He yanked Naruto to his feet and ducked around a corner, hoping they had enough time.

"What about the pervy sage?" Shikamaru gritted his teeth.

"If he's in a fight where the outcome will be decided by a couple of genin I'd be pretty friggin' surprised. I need you to make half as many clones as you possibly can."

Naruto, looked at him dubiously for a moment and then grinned, pleased to be doing something he was good at in a fight.

"Tajuu, Kage Bunshin no-jutsu!" He roared and the entire area was filled with shadow clones popping into existence.

"I said half as much!" He yelled, perturbed as he saw hundreds of clones pop into existence.

"I held back, don't yell at me, asshole!" Naruto replied, angered at being corrected during 'his' jutsu.

Shikamaru didn't have time to marvel at Naruto's 'held back' amount of clones but continued his instruction. "Henge most of them to look like me. It has to be good."

Naruto, sticking out his lower lip, eyeballed him for a moment and then gestured at his clones. "You heard him!" There was a general smattering of grumbled remarks but two thirds of the kage bunshin henged into a perfect version of Shikamaru.

Shikamaru set his hands in the sign for a henge and after a small pop was the exact replica of the Naruto standing next to him.

"Time to go."

* * *

Jiraiya roared as he saw the Akatsuki cloaks during his brief visit to the room. There was only one reason why they could be there and it was for Naruto. His trajectory took him through the room and the next wall and into the next building.

_Orochimaru's pretty angry about his sword. _He mused. Still, he had more important matters than Orochimaru at the moment.

He lept back to the room to find Itachi and the other nin gone. The entire back of the room had been blown out and as he stepped to the edge of the room he saw maybe three hundred shadow clones dispersing in every direction imaginable. Half had been henged to look like Shikamaru the other half to look like Naruto.

He amended this as he looked on. _More than half. That's pretty smart. All of them are going to move like Naruto but only one Shikamaru is going to behave like a Nara. If you make more of him it would make it harder for them to spot the real one amongst all the fakes. _

He had little time to marvel as Orochimaru landed gently in the room. "Kusanagi, where is it?" He yelled, his normally unflappable cool demeanor broken. Jiraiya smirked at him. "Zuru zuru, Oro-kun. I've told you, it's gone. It would take both of us to bring it back and how likely do you think that is?" He said, using a pet name he knew would enrage the sanin further.

A rasengan formed in Jiraiya's hand as they circled eachother.

As they ran through the growingly wild forest Naruto suddenly stopped and said, "I found her."

"Her who?" Shikamaru asked, still in henge.

"That Tsunade lady." His face was blank and his eyes looked distant.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Shikamaru said, looking around regardless. If she was here he hadn't spotted her at all.

"One of my clones. She's in a bath house with...another lady." He blushed but Shikamaru didn't have time to question him further about it.

"I'm not even going to ask how you know what your clones are up to. Lead on, she's the key to this whole mess." He followed Naruto as they headed back into the village, bounding over stone walls and eventually standing outside of a female-only bath house.

"Err." Shikamaru said, explaining his growing discomfort.

"Yeah." Naruto echoed. "I'm sure the Pervy Sage would be hopping to get assigned to this particular mission but I'd rather not get killed."

"Chouji's hurt and Jiraiya is in trouble. Do you want to stop because you're uncomfortable with the female form?" He said, convincing himself as much as Naruto.

"Well..." Naruto began.

"Of course not." He firmly walked through the door, a scowl settling on his face.

He walked boldly all the way up until the screams started, mostly from girls his age and while he didn't cover his eyes, he wasn't being perverted either. There was too much at stake to observe propriety.

He was about to ask Naruto to make more clones to search the giant bath house when he found them. He didn't know it was them to begin with but anyone who wasn't running and screaming in terror was a prime candidate. They were both young, one fair one darker.

"Shizune! Teach these lechers a lesson." The voice that came from the woman was much older than the woman herself.

_Anyone putting that sort of chakra at work making herself appear younger should be happy with the attention. _He thought, rather uncharitably.

'Shizune' stood up and walked out of the small pool they had been seated in, causing Naruto to pass out. She made a few quick hand symbols before Shikamaru could get a word in.

"I'm not here to peek!" He said, even as he dodged a bolt of ice that had formed from the water the ladies had been situated in. "Jiraiya is fighting some s-class missing nin, the hokage wants you to be the Godaime and my best friend's hand was cut off. I have sixty two million ryu with me if you'll just agree to come back to Konoha."

Shizune, still clad in her birthday suit, turned to Tsunade. "Sixty two million, Tsunade-sama. You could pay off your debts."

"Get your friend, he's going to drown." Tsunade said, gesturing at Naruto who had slipped into a pool. Shikamaru fished him out and when he turned back both Shizune and Tsunade were gone.

From a shadowed doorway he heard, "Wait out front."

Shikamaru dragged a damp Naruto out of the bath house, slapping him whenever he could and finally bringing him back to some semblance of consciousness just to have Shizune, now clad in modest robes, walk out of the door and cause Naruto to pass out again.

"Is he alright?" Shizune said, appearing genuinly concerned. Shikamaru shrugged.

"He's simple. You two ready to travel?" Tsunade and Shizune both nodded curtly.

"What about Jiraiya?" From Tsunade. She gestured out towards a gathering dust cloud.

"He's a sannin, I'm sure he'll be fine. My main concern is returning you to Konoha." This was the starkest truth he could summon up. Tsunade looked at him dubiously. "Would you need help?" He asked, shoving his point down her throat. She sniffed and gestured for him to lead on.

He really wasn't concerned about Jiraiya. That the sannin was in trouble was evident from his appearance in the room. That he needed their help was summarized in their difference of skill: Not at all.

Anything that they thought they were doing to help was likely going to make it harder for him. He was supremely glad that Naruto was unconscious and thus unable to try to 'go to the rescue' of one of the greatest shinobi in history. Unless Tsunade had planned on aiding him it was all academic and at the moment, Shikamaru was unwilling to risk her safety for a man he barely knew, trading the life of a friend he'd had for years.

No, the mission both for Chouji and for the Hokage had been to convince Tsunade to return. He didn't have time to baby-sit sannin. Jiraiya was on his own.

* * *

Chouji had awakened after the third day, he was looking much better and getting better every day, even his hand had begun to fill out slightly, regaining some of it's natural color.

He ate happily and grinned at the chattering kids who visited him during visitation hours. The majority of the time he spent worrying about Shikamaru and to a lesser extent Ino.

Ino had spent almost as much time in the hospital now as he had and while he was glad for the company, he knew something was wrong. That Shikamaru wasn't there at all frightened him badly. His father assured him that the Nara had escaped the conflict virtually uninjured and afterwards had caused quite a stir when he robbed his own clan but that still didn't explain why he hadn't come to visit.

His answer came when he summoned the nerve to actually ask Ino where he was, he figured if anyone knew it was going to be either her or Asuma-sensei.

"Where is Shikamaru?" He asked, locking eyes with Ino. The kunoichi looked away, her ears burning. and answered in a small voice.

"I told him to leave. He wasn't there, Chouji. He should have been, this never would have happened if he had just been there." By 'this' she was referring not only to his hospitalization but also the prognosis the doctors had given him the day prior.

_"Your hand is being accepted by your body but there are additional complications you should be aware of." The medic-nin said, looking troubled._

_That he was going to keep his hand was the best news he'd had...pretty much ever. Any complications past that were largely inconsequential, or so he thought._

_"What sort of complications?" He said, prompting the obviously hesitating ninja on._

_The medic-nin took a deep breath and clasp his hands in front of him. "While the tissue and blood vessels have realigned the chakra coils as have all but withered away. Due to your clans particular emphasis on manipulation and control of your body...it is unlikely that any jutsus that you attempt with that hand will work." He paused, but soldiered on after a moment. Chouji had found out that one of the students he had saved was this man's daughter and he'd done everything in his power to ensure Chouji was all but pampered. _

_"I've been studying the Akimichi bloodline techniques and I've learned about the elasticity that partial enlargement jutsus require. I probably don't have to explain it to you but when you enlarge say...your foot, the transition from your foot to your ankle and then ankle to shin, where your shin is normally sized requires this elasticity. It is made possible by the manipulation of chakra. If you were to enlarge your injured hand, it would not respond and the bordering tissue, in this case your wrist, would enlarge. Without your chakra coils intact, any jutsus that involve your hand would probably result in an accidental self-amputation when your wrist enlarges and your hand does not."_

Suddenly the 'good news' about his hand hadn't seemed so good. He was now a crippled ninja or at least crippled in his bloodline. Rock Lee, Tenten and Sakura all performed as admirable ninja without the benefit of any bloodlines. It was a disapointment, to be sure, but if the use of a few techniques was the price of protecting the entire Konoha academy, he'd pay it again and gladly.

Chouji looked at Ino. "He wasn't there because he was doing his best, Ino. He's lazy when he can be but when it's important he always tries. You saw him after you found out about that sound-nin." He sighed and sat up in the bed. His head spun a little but the disorientation didn't last long. He hated being in the hospital.

"Our own mission wasn't very dangerous, comparatively. He probably just figured..." _To the eighth decimal place, _Chouji mused. "That we'd be fine and tried to help out in areas that he thought needed it more."

Ino stamped her foot and looked on the verge of tears so he relented. _What's bothering her? _He thought to himself. Not for the first time this week, he wished he could bend Shikamaru's ear and figure out what Ino was going through.

Asuma sensei chose that moment to visit, entering the room with a loud, "Ohayo!" That was immediately shushed by a passing medic.

He looked slightly chagrined but he was holding a bento bearing the crest of Chouji's favorite restaurant. "I brought you something, Chouji. It'll help get you strong again," Ino held out her hand for it sternly and Asuma gave it to her looking a little perplexed.

"Asuma-sensei, do you know where Shikamaru is?" Chouji said, sniffing the air. Trying to get a hint of what was in the bento.

Asuma twitched, probably from not having a cigarette nearby, and nodded to Chouji. "He went with Jiraiya-sama and Uzumaki Naruto to retrieve the Godaime Hokage. They left about a week ago." Chouji, never one to pick up the signs of a lie, accepted this with little comment. Ino knew Asuma was lying however and decided to confront him about it, after he was done visiting Chouji.

As Asuma brought Chouji (and Ino for that matter) up to date on current events, Chouji couldn't help but wonder why Ino was being so nice to him. Sure he was injured but it was more her style to bonk him one on the head for bothering everybody and go back to fawning over Sasuke.

_Come to think of it, _he mused to himself, _I haven't heard a single thing about Sasuke from her. _He decided to test this observation

"Asuma-sensei, Kakashi-sensei was posing as Sasuke, did they find out what Orochimaru wanted with him?" Asuma shook his head but Chouji saw this only peripherally. Ino had actually rolled her eyes at the mention of Sasuke.

_We've been infiltrated! _He thought immediately but remembered the conversation they had had earlier about her father. _No spy would know all that personal information off the top of their head. _He stared at Ino for a moment, making her blush though he didn't notice it and decided he'd get to the bottom of this.

Asuma stayed a while longer and then finally departed. Ino walked him out which was rather polite for her.

As soon as they were out of earshot of Chouji's room. _His poor ear! _Ino rounded on Asuma, not quite mad but willing to fake it to get her point across. "Asuma-sensei, everyone knows I bring him his favorite. If you bring barbeque again I'll mindswap you in your sleep and root around in your Kurenai memories." Asuma raised his hands, trying to calm her down.

"I didn't mean to..." He began but she cut him off with a sharp gesture. Ino quirked an eyebrow at him and all he could do was sigh and relent. "Alright alright, no reason to get angry about it. Was a simple mistake." All the while in his mind thinking, _good for you, Chouji. _

_Anbu-Dave_

_Comments, questions, critiques, rants, raves, suggestions, ideas or a friendly "Ohayo!" can be sent to my aim: KagemaneSuccess or in the review section._

_I'm still trying to get a decent scene break installed. X's don't work, double spacing fails...I'm down to smiley faces now and that's just a mood killer.  
_

_Thanks for reading. The next chapter should have some stuff not at all in canon as well as a little more action. _

_Special thanks to:_

_Aotrs Commander (for helping with my layout and silly mistakes)_

_TalaTheWolf, KevshvsWhitePoison and Miroku Kensei for the support. _

_A story without readers is not much of anything._


	4. Chapter 4: Snake by the tail

Kagemane Complete

Chapter 4: Snake by the tail

* * *

Lee leapt through the open window of Chouji's hospital room, no mean feat as it was on the third floor. He didn't notice the aluminum of the window sill bending beneath him. He stepped lightly into the room and jumped three feet in the air as Ino walked back into the room after a short bathroom visit and screamed in shock.

He knocked his head on the ceiling and fell back to the floor, somewhat ruining his dynamic entry but he was still determined to pull it off.

He gave Ino a thumbs up and grinned. Chouji, now awake was just in time to watch Ino pummel the newly promoted chuunin around the room. He finally managed to fend her off enough to get some distance and a word in.

"Sorry! I didn't mean to startle you, I just heard about Chouji-san waking up." Ino scoffed but the majority of her shock had worn off .

"He's been awake for almost a week now." Lee, who was about to say something had his finger raised and was promptly crushed by Ino's statement. His head fell and he took a moment to gather himself.

"Guy-sensei has been helping his longtime rival, Kakashi-sama with his mission load. We haven't been getting much information from the tower." He perked up quickly. "Konohamaru-kun has been telling such tales of heroism and bravery." Flames appeared in the Guy-clones eyes and he made a fist. "I wanted to hear the tale of your battle from you!" The flames went out and he became contemplative for a moment. "Oh, and he said Shikamaru-san is back with the Shodai Hokage's granddaughter."

"Oh!" Chouji replied, intelligently. Instantly the covers had been thrown away.

"Stop that!" Ino said, trying to push him back into the bed. He wrestled his way around her and took a crutch that was leaning against the wall. "You're going to hurt yourself."

"Lay off, Ino. Even the nurses said I can walk around now. I just have to take it easy." He said, grinning at her. "Shikamaru's back, don't you want to see him?" She sniffed and crossed her arms.

Lee, perfectly incapable of being tactful said, "Maybe they're rivals. Like the terminally cool Kakashi-sama and Guy-sensei."

Chouji shook his head, "I haven't figured it out yet but I will." He said, trying to read Ino's face. She turned away from him and spoke over her shoulder so he couldn't.

"Don't stay out too long, I'll be back tomorrow to see you again." Then turned and left the room.

Lee turned to him and quirked an enormous eyebrow to which Chouji could only shrug. He didn't know what was going on there anymore than Lee did but he'd been laid up too long and hadn't seen Shikamaru in a week and a half. He was anxious to hear about his own fight during the invasion. Tenten said he had defeated two suna nin by himself.

He tied a robe around his growing waist and nodded to Lee.

Under his own power he made it to the hospital exit and probably could have made it a little farther but Lee couldn't be asked to walk that slowly for long.

"Maybe..." Lee said, looking at Chouji's casted leg.

What felt like moments later he was riding on Lee's back and speeding through Konoha, fast enough to bring tears to his eyes. The jostling made every part of him ache but it was still exhilarating.

They reached the tower just as Shikamaru and a brown haired kunoichi were exiting. The kunoichi was holding a small pig that was looking expectantly up at her.

"Ah, this must be Chouji." She said, waving happily at the him. Lee waved back and set Chouji down carefully.

"Shikamaru!" He said, by way of greeting, he was about to say more when Shikamaru gestured to the kunoichi he had been walking with. He still hadn't met Chouji's eye yet.

"It's his left hand. You are sure you're as skilled as Tsunade?" He asked, deliberately looking back at him. She waved him off and set the pig down. Chouji sat down and leaned against the low wall outside the Hokage's tower at her bidding while she used a diagnosis technique not only on his hand but the rest of his body as well.

Lee was leaning down, watching the process with great interest. Chouji tried to look around Lee and the medic nin but was told, a little sharply he thought, not to move. When they parted he saw that Shikamaru was gone.

"We should get you back to the hospital." The medic-nin said, her face not looking at all as jovial as she had been before.

Chouji barely heard her as he tried to figure out what was wrong with his team mates. He decided to ask Asuma-sensei as he couldn't get a straight answer out of anyone else.

* * *

Ino went through her evening ritual of brushing her hair, showering and finally brushing her teeth, as her body performed the actions automatically she couldn't stop thinking about Shikamaru being back. What it also meant for her.

_It was his fault. _She thought, stubbornly. When Chouji explained what Shikamaru had probably been doing during the invasion the doubt began to take hold in her carefully built defense. If it wasn't Shikamaru's fault then it was hers. She _had_ been there.

She stared at herself in the mirror and willed her anger at the Nara to return. Try as she might though, it wouldn't come.

* * *

Tsunade examined the Akimichi boy thoroughly, paying particular attention to his leg. It had been set improperly and would need to be adjusted or he'd have trouble with arthritis at a later age. The hand she only made a cursory pass over. Shizune had been correct though, the coils themselves were the problem. He would retain full sensory and motor control over the hand.

"Your hand seems to be coming along fine, I need to fix your leg. Just sit still." He obeyed her, looking more than a little intimidated.

She finished after about a half an hour, a light sheen of sweat on her forehead. "All done." She said, patting his leg. "You don't need a crutch anymore but you need to take it easy on it for about a month. The bone needs to harden again." She removed the bandage on his head and took a closer look at his ear. The cut was clean, it had taken off the top of his ear. She grumbled while she looked at it. If she had had the piece when it happened he would have a full ear still.

"What about my hand?" He said, turning to her as she stepped away from him. She inhaled deeply and turned back to him with what Chouji liked to call 'the bad news face'.

She crossed her arms under her generous bosom and explained the problem. He waited politely for her to finish. "There's nothing that can be done?"

"Your body has already rerouted your chakra. Your hand is completely out of the loop. Attempting to reconnect your hand to your han would involve re-cutting your arm coils. Your hand coils are also weakened to the point that I'm unsure if they'd hold a steady flow again." She waved away Shizune who had walked into the room and her assistant retreated back to the hallway.

"I tried a bunshin the day before yesterday, it didn't work. It's like I couldn't mold chakra at all." He was glad Ino wasn't there. He hadn't told her about that particular development yet.

"You can still release it from your tenketsu but molding chakra generally requires two hands forming seals to order the chakra into usable forms."

He nodded, he had thought as much. "Thank you, Tsunade-sama." Then he grinned at her. _I'll have to start training with Guy and Lee. _He groaned inwardly at the thought. "Are you going to be the new hokage?" He asked, but she pretended not to hear as she gestured Shizune back into the room and whispered something to her.

"I will inform the Hokage that you should be removed from active duty." She said, her face steeling.

He looked at her dubiously as he swept his legs over the bed and tried standing on his leg. "It's not that bad, I can still take on some D-ranks for a month, when it hardens up like you said."

"If you can't mold chakra, you can't be a ninja." She said, looking at him incredulously.

"Lee does just fine without it." Now he was getting defensive. Sure he hadn't trained as much as Lee but he could remedy that. It's not like she knew that. She was probably judging from his weight. He looked down at himself and modified that thought. He was almost as wiry as Shikamaru at the moment. Only Ino's constant stream of food had him looking like anything more than a scarecrow.

"I'll...you can tell your sensei then." She said, and left in a rush.

* * *

Shikamaru went back up to the Hokage's office as soon as Shizune started diagnosing Chouji. He _did _need to brief the Hokage about the missing nin still. Even if he knew that wasn't his real reason for ducking back into the building.

The two chuunin stopped him at the door at he looked at them questioningly. "He's in a meeting, so unless it's urgent you'll have to wait."

Not used to waiting he really didn't know what to do with himself so he walked out onto a balcony and tried to order his thoughts. _Why were those missing nin there? _The question kept hammering in his mind. _For Jiraiya. _But that didn't quite seem to fit the information. _They saw Jiraiya but Naruto said they still chased after his clones. _He heard someone behind him, thinking it was the chuunin guards he turned around and the world flashed white as something struck him in the jaw. Reeling, he clung to the railing and slumped to a knee, trying to clear his ringing head.

"You never said you left him!" Naruto yelled as he stood over him, fists clenched and teeth barred. "I always knew you were lazy, I didn't think you were a coward too."

Shikamaru stood, rubbing his jaw. "You were unconscious, I had the future Godaime Hokage with me and he was fighting S-class missing nin. What exactly would you have done?"

Naruto blushed hotly when his relapse into unconsciousness was brought up again. "I would have fought! He's a pervert but he's still a good guy."

"Good thinking, lets risk our new Hokage in a pointless battle." Shikamaru shook his head. "He's probably already back. We had to drag you half the way and he was by himself."

Naruto's rage fled and he was only left with a disgusted look for Shikamaru, "I only found out you left him because one of his summons just told the Hokage that he's been captured by Orochimaru." Naruto's head was hanging now, "He said that Orochimaru had help from another leaf shinobi, the genin we met at the exam, Kabuto. I guess he was spying on Konohagakure for Orochimaru."

_Shit. _Though if he was going to be captured by one group or the other Shikamaru preferred the one that was a known factor. The missing nin, while known generally, were a mystery regarding their motivation. One of the chuunin guards walked out onto the balcony and informed them both that the Hokage was ready for them.

"Come on." He told Naruto, his throbbing jaw already forgotten.

As they walked into the Hokage's office he couldn't help but notice the smell. He was about to say something about it, it smelled like warm death, when he saw the Hokage's face. Grey and ashen he appeared ready to fall over at any moment. He looked much worse than when Shikamaru had seen him just after the invasion.

"Hokage-sama?" He asked, stepping forward slightly. Naruto was right next to him.

The old man chuckled, "Looks that bad does it? I'm sorry I can't offer up an explanation. For the moment you'll have to trust me. You did good, bringing back Tsunade so quickly though."

"Jiraiya was captured?" Shikamaru said, prompting an explanation.

The Hokage nodded gravely, "That he sealed away Orochimaru's sword is likely the only reason he's still alive. Orochimaru can't get it back without Jiraiya's help."

"How is his rescue going to be handled?" The Hokage looked at Shikamaru intently.

The old man gestured for them to sit and they accepted, seating themselves opposite him. "Kakashi was injured and Guy is out on missions. Kurenai and Asuma are likely candidates but I do not believe them capable of defeating Orochimaru."

Shikamaru pondered this. "I've read everything you wrote about the invasion and your battle with Orochimaru. I'm sure I can get an accurate summary of Kabuto's fighting style as well from the summon that Jiraiya sent out. If I can, I can retrieve Jiraiya. I will not be able to defeat Orochimaru though."

Naruto turned and marveled at Shikamaru, "Wait, you want to lead the mission?" Shikamaru ignored the question as the Hokage began speaking.

"I can't send a genin off on an S-class mission. Even if I thought you were right, and I have my doubts, the council would use it as an excuse to wrest control of the village from me. It would play right into their arguments that I'm getting too old."

Naruto stood up in a rush. "That's bullshit, you're the best Hokage we've ever had." The Hokage smiled at this and nodded graciously. Shikamaru heard a whispered, "Second best" under the old mans breath but chose not to pursue it.

Shikamaru decided to forge ahead, "The larger problem is that we don't know where he's being held."

The Hokage shook his head, the tails of his hat swaying back and forth, "That we do know, the toad followed them from the site of the battle and we have accurate coordinates on the location."

_Good location, good intel...potentially problematic lack of information on the interior of his base. _He turned to the Hokage, "It's underground isn't it?"

It was the Hokage's turn to blink but Shikamaru waved it off, "The overriding theme to all of Orochimaru's behaviors and affectations is serpentine. It was a guess, but an educated one. It's also likely that it'll be set up as a maze. The loss of, what I believe to be, the majority of his forces would leave it largely empty but he's probably mitigated that with traps."

_Kabuto wasn't involved in the attack but was involved in capturing Jiraiya...can fight, just didn't commit him to the invasion. Important in Orochimaru's rank structure...likely he'll be in charge of guarding Jiraiya if Orochimaru hasn't taken that on himself._

"A Hyuuga, I would prefer Neji as I don't believe Hiashi will follow direction, Naruto and the medic-nin we brought back, Shizune would be the team I want." The Hokage stared at him, long enough to make him uncomfortable but he didn't avert his eyes. "I can do this, Hokage-sama."

The Hokage removed his hat and both the boys noticed that his scalp was peeling. He itched it gently and spoke quietly. "Not as a genin." Shikamaru opened his mouth to protest but the Hokage silenced him with a look and opened his desk drawer. From it he took a quill and a small scroll. After writing on it for a few moments he blew on the drying ink and called to the chuunin outside the door. When the chuunin looked at him he said, "I need a witness." The chuunin nodded and walked completely into the room and folded his arms in front of him, having done this many times in his tenure as a guard.

"Read this, Shikamaru." He said, his voice raw. He coughed a little and turned the scroll on his desk so it was facing the Nara. Shikamaru did as he was instructed, getting about halfway down the page when he realized he was being promoted.

He got to the last bit and looked up sharply at the Hokage. "Why not a chuunin?"

The Hokage spread his hands, "The rank of chuunin is decided by a board, it's really the hardest rank to achieve. Jonin and special jonin are by the hand of the Hokage and will always be if I have anything to say about it. Strictly speaking one is supposed to advance from genin to chuunin and then jonin or special jonin but a few allowances have been made over the years. As there is a precedent for it and as I'm comfortable with you performing basic shinobi skills at a chuunin level I am promoting you to a special jonin for this mission."

Naruto could have swept the floor if he had a beard. Shikamaru knew this wasn't an honor that was being bestowed on him though, this was a temporary fix to a bureaucratic problem. He signed his name at the bottom of the scroll with a harsh scratching that filled the silence that had descended. In turn the chuunin guard and finally the Hokage signed it as well. The old man then pulled another scroll from his desk and tossed it to Shikamaru.

"That entitles you to your expense account." _Shit,_ he thought almost immediately, _I forgot about Tsunade's money. _"For an S-Class team mission you're entitlements are substantial but as always, I prefer my shinobi to be frugal. Extravagancy isn't a luxury we can afford with a village to rebuild. That said, as a jonin you're expected to limit yourself, as such, there is no imposed limit." Naruto whistled but Shikamaru only nodded. Money had never interested him. If he had a mind to he was sure that he could make a decent living at gambling. Knowing the odds of everything improved your ability to make competent decisions in every aspect of life.

"Neji has already been promoted to Chuunin and Shizune is a jonin but Naruto's involvement will have to be classified strictly as an observer." Shikamaru, knowing that the Hokage was bound by certain laws as they all were, chose not to burden him with what he actually planned for Naruto. Shikamaru received the information regarding the base and was given a detailed account of what the toad had reported. It was precious little but just knowing that Kabuto was a combat-medic was more than he had hoped for.

When he had finished he turned to Naruto and asked him to inform Neji and to meet at Ichiraku's ramen stand. "Why do we have to bring that guy? Hinata is way nicer."

The Hokage answered for him, "Hinata hasn't been promoted and while I can pass off a single genin on a two jonin team, two will cause a stir. Do as he says, Naruto." Naruto stuck out his lower lip and took off, grumbling about Neji.

As the door shut behind Naruto he turned back to the old man. "Hokage-sama, I'm taking Naruto but is there something I should know about him?" He asked, not really expecting an answer. It was a crazy theory he had developed since coming in from the balcony. Kisame had been set to kill the youngest Nara and they had both ignored Jiraiya. _When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth. _Which meant they had been after Naruto. Barring his foray into a single A-rank mission he couldn't have made many enemies.

The only other clues he had were the inordinate amount of shadow clones he could make and his obvious resilience to physical damage. As he looked up he saw he had been right, the Hokage's face had gone stern and he was staring directly at Shikamaru. To assuage whatever the old man was feeling Shikamaru related his observations of not only Naruto but the missing nin that had accosted them.

"It follows that they were looking for him. If I'm going to run into more s-class criminals as a result of having Naruto along it would be less troublesome to leave him where he could be guarded, despite my plans." He left the statement in the air and waited for the Hokage to respond.

He took a deep breath and Shikamaru had never seen him look older. "I'm telling you this in the strictest confidence, Shikamaru. It's a capital crime to repeat it." It was Shikamaru's turn to be surprised. Some villages liked to hand out the death penalty for everything ranging from stealing to murder. Konohagakure was a bit more advanced culturally and very few things carried the death penalty. Almost all of them were crimes against other people. Rape, murder etc. Mizuki hadn't even recieved the death penalty and he'd tried to steal a forbidden scroll.

"Naruto is host to a tailed beast." And suddenly it all came together for Shikamaru, Temari talking about Shukaku, Gaara telling Naruto they were alike, Naruto defeating Gaara unexpectedly. His physical attributes and immense chakra reserves...it all fit. He felt like an idiot for not seeing sooner.

"The nine tails." He said, not really asking. He remembered his history. It would have been about the right time. They had been told that the fourth had defeated the nine-tailed fox but no remnants of it had ever been found. The Hokage nodded.

He leaned back in his chair, "As far as meeting up with any other s-class nin, by all intelligence reports they have left fire country but regardless of their location, it would actually be safer for him and anyone near him, to be away from Konoha." Shikamaru pondered this for a moment.

"They wore a uniform, I assume they are an organization of sorts?" The Hokage nodded but raised his hand before Shikamaru asked any more questions.

"I'm not the person to tell you about Akatsuki. When you free Jiraiya, ask him about them. He's been following their movements for a decade now." Shikamaru sighed. _Around and around we go. _"Good luck, Shikamaru. If you fall, there will be no recovery mission, we can't afford to weaken the village with Suna poised to strike."

Shikamaru nodded and bowed before leaving.

It only took him a little while to find Shizune who, despite being an active Jonin, all but refused to go with Shikamaru. He finally had to entreat on her that she was going to be saving one of Tsunade's old team mates and the woman relented. "We'll be leaving tomorrow out of the west gate at six a.m."

He met with Neji and Naruto not long after and explained the mission. Naruto was still mad at him and he didn't want to force himself into a situation where he wasn't wanted though he had hoped for a bite to eat.

It was getting dark when he finally made his way to the Sarutobi estate. He had no word on Chouji, mostly because he was too ashamed to go see him and was still anxious to hear how his visit with Tsunade had gone.

He knocked on the door and was surprised when Kurenai answered it. "Uh..." He started, caught a bit flat-footed. She smiled at him jovially enough but her eyes always made him a little uncomfortable.

"I'll get him. Come in." He entered as she turned and walked down the main hallways, turning off at the dining room. He removed his sandals and looked at his hands. _Dirty. _That was probably true for the rest of him then. He did his best to brush himself off, if Asuma was entertaining he didn't want to be an embarrassment.

It was only a few minutes before Asuma-sensei was gesturing him into the dinning room. He could smell snuffed candles in the air and there were only two place settings. _Interesting. _He thought mildly. Ino had suspected for a while now but this was the first concrete evidence they had. He sighed inwardly when he realized that Ino wouldn't want to hear about it from him.

"Tsunade went to see Chouji. How is his hand?" Asuma gestured for him to have a seat but he shook his head.

The jonin sighed and took a pack of cigarettes from his shirt pocket. He wasn't wearing his flak jacket but he still had on his forehead protector. Before he could speak Kurenai walked in from the kitchen and made her goodbyes. Shikamaru could see that their dinner hadn't been finished. He felt bad about interrupting but he needed to talk to Asuma before he left in the morning. He bowed to Kurenai politely and Asuma walked her out.

Asuma returned and began explaining the extent of Chouji's injury. That the hand was saved was excellent news but was quickly soured by the revelation that he could no longer mold chakra. "Some of his enlargement techniques don't require hand symbols." Shikamaru said, hopefully.

His sensei nodded, "He still retains the ability to enlarge parts of his body, just not that hand." Shikamaru pondered this development while Asuma smoked. "He's also requested a team transfer. I hate to break up the second generation of the Ino-Shika-Cho dynamic but his reasons are sound."

"With Rock Lee and Guy-sensei, right?" He asked, but it was rhetorical. Asuma, having been experiencing Shikamaru's leaps in logic for a while, only nodded.

"I've spoken with Neji and Tenten about the exchange, Neji tried to make me sign on the spot. As both he and Rock Lee made Chuunin and our team has none it makes sense from a tactical perspective as well. It'll take effect sometime in the next couple of days. Guy is out on a mission and should be back before too long, the exchange has to be agreed on by both of us."

Shikamaru nodded. Everything felt surreal to him, Chouji crippled, Ino threatening to kill him, Jiraiya captured and now he was a special jonin. He ignored his own feelings about Chouji leaving the team. "I'm going on a mission, early tomorrow. I'm taking Neji, Naruto and the medic-nin Shizune. I'm not sure how long I'll be gone but it shouldn't be more than a week or two. If you need Neji to sign something or whatever...you'd probably better talk to him tonight."

Asuma's eyebrows rose as Shikamaru spoke. "What mission? That's not your team." Shikamaru shook his head, "I picked them for the skills I'll need. The mission is to rescue Jiraiya he was..." But he didn't get any farther.

"He can't send a genin after Orochimaru!" He exploded, his cigarette falling out of his mouth. "That's...unconscionable." Shikamaru tried to calm him down. He hadn't wanted to tell him about the promotion, it was only a temporary thing.

"I was promoted to special jonin for the duration of the mission, to protect the Hokage from council scrutiny." Asuma stopped his pacing. "I hate to add worse news to bad but I don't think the Hokage is getting better. I think he's dying." Asuma nodded at this.

"He's told me as much. Keep it to yourself though, if the council found out he was going to die we wouldn't have the time we need to convince Tsunade to become the Godaime." Shikamaru sighed heavily. All that planning had been for nothing. The village had still been damaged, the Hokage was going to die as a result of the attack and Chouji lost his ability to mold chakra. He couldn't think of a single, good outcome as a result of his involvement in the invasion. Orochimaru had exposed himself to Suna, he couldn't even claim that.

"Special Jonin though. That's happened twice in the entire history of the village. Being promoted past chuunin." Shikamaru shrugged.

"It's only temporary." He said, feeling uncomfortable talking about it. "I'd prefer if you didn't tell Ino or Chouji." Asuma chuckled at this.

"If Naruto was there, you'll be lucky if half the village doesn't already know." The large man clapped him on the shoulder. "Promotions aside, be careful when you confront Orochimaru."

It was Shikamaru's turn to snort, "I'm not going to fight him, that would be suicide. I'm just going to rescue Jiraiya." Asuma nodded and Shikamaru left him, making his way back home. He was still trying not to think about Chouji so he buried himself in the task of rescuing Jiraiya. He already had a rough plan in his head but he'd need to see the layout of the terrain before he was willing to commit to it.

* * *

He woke to his alarm and not feeling at all refreshed from sleeping. _At least I can take a shower in my own bathroom. _He had woken early enough to give him time to properly pack and have a breakfast before he made his way to the west gate. He had snuck in, not wanting to deal with questions about Chouji or the clan funds for that matter. He left another short letter and was gone before his mother had risen from bed and was waiting at the west gate with ten minutes to spare.

Neji nodded to him curtly and Shizune waved, somehow perky that early in the morning. Naruto arrived on the dot with grumbling yawns and a slouch. He explained their travel order, Neji in front, Naruto next, Shizune and then finally Shikamaru. "All plans will be given in writing." Having no questions they all set out at a comfortable speed.

He recalled the map that the hokage had shown him, if they continued with their current pace they would reach the hideout in a little under a 4 days. They'd also arrive in the dark which is what he was particularly hoping for. If the timing seemed off they would stop at a nearby fishing village and wait until they could scout the area in the dark.

They camped that night. He was unwilling to change their course to stay in a town but no one complained. One of their own was missing, sleeping on the ground meant little in the effort to correct the problem. Shizune cooked something that would have been edible if she hadn't brought salt. Not even Naruto was dense enough to say something about it though. After their tents were all set up and the fire had been banked they all went to sleep. He wasn't worried about posting guard only one day out of Konoha.

* * *

The next day was spent in much the same method of travel only this time Naruto had gotten enough sleep and was happily chattering at Shizune who was doing her best to keep up with the conversation even as Neji was trying to ignore it.

"He taught me a little about summoning, I was supposed to sign a contract but we got separated when we were looking for Granny Tsunade. Summoning frogs though, how cool is that?" Before Shizune could answer. "Do you have a contract for summoning?" He asked, staring back at Shizune.

"No, I've never really needed a summons." She said, growing testy.

"What about granny Tsunade?" He asked, a little put out by her apparent lack of interest in summoning.

Shikamaru couldn't help but laugh, "There's three sanin, Naruto. Jiraiya has signed a contract with the toads, Orochimaru with the snakes...doesn't that sound a little familiar to you?" Naruto turned back around and was silent for a little while before answering.

"Are you talking about Janken?" Naruto asked, looking unsure of himself.

Neji spoke from the front of their little formation, "Give the idiot a cookie, he got one right."

"Screw you, Neji!" Shizune laughed at this and Shikamaru prompted Naruto.

"So if one is a toad, one a snake...what would the third be?" Naruto looked back at him, already forgetting about Neji.

"A slug...but that doesn't sound like any kind of good summoning." Shizune snorted at this.

"Tsunade-sama does indeed have a contract with the slugs, as far as them not being a 'good' summoning, ask her that yourself." Shikamaru didn't think that conversation would go too well.

Naruto, still bored, asked about the plan, "I can't be sure yet and I don't want to burden everyone with knowledge they'll just have to forget when I change the plan after the reconnaissance."

Neji didn't turn as he spoke but Shikamaru knew that he was staring right at him. "Is it true the Hokage made you a jonin?" Shikamaru sighed.

Naruto, never one to be called a liar without responding, made a rude gesture with his hand.

"To get around the s-class mission classification he temporarily promoted me to special jonin, yes." Neji said nothing and they traveled the rest of the day in silence. It wasn't until they had stopped for the night that it came back up again.

* * *

"That would make you the youngest jonin since Uchiha Itachi. You don't appear to have his skill though." Neji said, eating a small ration bar.

"I don't. I told you, this is just a temporary thing to get around the red tape. The Hokage couldn't send a genin to lead an s-ranked mission." He hunched, hoping that settled the matter. Neji didn't appear to be angry about his unusual promotion but Naruto couldn't help but digging the hole a little deeper.

"He beat Temari and Kankuro all by himself. I'll bet he could kick your ass, Neji." The blond said with a happy grin.

"Temari and Kankuro defeated themselves. I don't think I could have beaten them one on one." He said, qualifying Naruto's statement.

Shikamaru shivered and scooted closer to the fire, pulling his arms inside his jacket. Shizune looked mildly interested with the conversation now. Neji sniffed derisively.

"How about it, you two? A friendly spar for entertainment?" She asked, her eyes glinting mischieviously. Shikamaru sighed.

"I'd rather not risk an injury on our way into an S-class mission." He got a look at Neji's face in the firelight and knew that the fight was inevitable now. He had worried about bringing Neji along despite him being Shikamaru's first choice. The Hyuuga Clan was very proud to begin with and it was no secret that Neji was in a branch family probably making him more apt to grow a chip on his shoulder. He'd pondered the possibility of a fight for group dominance with the Hyuuga but had hoped it would take place on the way back from the mission.

Shizune poked him in the ribs. "It's not like you'd be fighting Naruto, we'll set rules." Naruto started to say something and Shizune assured him it was because he was so very dangerous.

Shikamaru thought about this for a moment. "If he closes off one of my tenketsu, he wins, if I bind him with my kagemane I win. There's a minimum risk of injuring each other with those rules. Oh, and no weapons."

He looked over at Neji and sighed, "Those ok with you?" Neji stood.

"I accept." As soon as he said it a pained look flitted across his face and then he sat back down again, his arms folding to his chest in perfect mimicry of Shikamaru.

"Kagemane successful, I win." Shikamaru said, without enthusiasm.

Naruto looked at him and uttered a very reasonable, "Huh?"

Neji spoke, his voice strained. "You didn't even move."

Shizune laughed and explained for the other two. "He did when he pretended to shiver and sat closer to the fire, hiding his hands from view." Shikamaru gave her a wane smile and adjusted the rope of shadow partially into the firelight, showing everyone that Neji was indeed bound. "He probably had his shadow right next to yours waiting for you to accept."

He released the jutsu and Neji relaxed. "That was before she even mentioned the spar, were you both in on it?" He asked, his voice going frosty.

"No, I assumed it would have to take place eventually if I was placed in charge. You're proud like Hiashi, it makes you predictable." He shrugged, "I just didn't know when it would happen. If you want to blame someone, blame Naruto." Naruto grinned at this. "I banked on the knowledge that he can piss off just about anyone."

The grin slid off Naruto's face. "Hey..."

Neji glared at him from across the fire, "That's Hiashi-sama to you." To which Shikamaru shrugged.

Shizune giggled again and let out a very loud snort that set Naruto and Shikamaru both to laughing and her to blushing.

"You're not going to beat Orochimaru with tricks, Nara." Neji said, angry at their laughter.

"I'm not going to beat Orochimaru at all. Why does everything think that? The mission is to recover Jiraiya. We're getting him and getting out. If I can help it the only person that will even see Orochimaru is Naruto." Naruto looked over at Shikamaru.

"Why me?" He asked, looking both exhilarated and afraid.

"I'll explain everything after we see the place, I promise." Naruto grumbled something but relented. They did rotate a guard that night but saw nothing but a boar.

* * *

The next two days were as uneventful. He stopped them a few kilometers from Orochimaru's base. "It's still light out and I wanted to get a good idea of what talents you all possess. I know about Naruto's shadow clones, how many can you make Naruto?"

Naruto looked up at the sky, "The most I've ever made was around four hundred I think." Shizune's jaw dropped.

"He said shadow clones, Naruto." Neji said grumpily.

"Yeah, four hundred shadow clones." He snarled back. "I heard him fine."

Shikamaru nodded, the number was ridiculous but after finding out about Naruto playing host to a tailed beast it was hardly a surprise. "Neji, I'm familiar with juken itself but not with any techniques that are derived from it. Do you know any?"

Neji crossed his arms in front of him and Shikamaru knew he wasn't going to get much information from him. "Jyuuken and the subsequent techniques are clan secrets, I would be guilty of offenses punishable by death for a branch member if I told you. Branch members aren't taught any."

He hadn't thought of that. "Alright, what is the range of your Byakugan?"

Neji stared at him for a moment, _probably trying to find a reason to not tell me, _before finally saying, "Around 50 meters." He nodded, taking this in.

"I know nothing about you, Shizune-sama." She rolled her eyes.

"Just Shizune, I'm not _that _old." She took a deep breath and began cataloging her various jutsus and strengths. He remarked to himself on the number of jutsus that relied on poison. As a medic nin he wondered if that branch of discipline was a aberration or the logical conclusion to advanced knowledge of the human body.

Either way it would prove potent in an enclosed environment. They looked at him expectantly but he ignored them for the most part.

"We've got a few hours before dark, I'll be up if you want to get some sleep." He kneeled down and assumed the eternity pose. He didn't have any intelligence on the hideout yet but he could come up with combat plans in case everything went completely wrong.

It felt like just a few minutes before the sun fell below the horizon. He stood back up and turned to Neji. "Neji, you'll be going alone to recon. I don't want to risk taking four people through a hostile environment. The things I'm looking for are entrances, traps most especially pitfalls, terrain type and structural weaknesses, specifically anyplace that can be made into an exit from the surface."

Neji nodded. His face appeared focused and he left with little preamble. He turned to Shizune but found that she was already sleeping. There was little to go over but he didn't think he'd find any rest that night.

It wasn't until the sun was about to rise that Neji returned, looking slightly more soiled but otherwise unharmed.

Shizune was waiting, henged to blend in with a nearby tree. "What's the password?" Shikamaru asked quietly.

Neji looked at him quizzically. "We made none."

"The one that we agreed on back in Konoha." Neji looked more annoyed than angry.

"We didn't have one _there _either." Shikamaru grinned at the annoyed Hyuga.

He sat down on a nearby log and gestured for Neji to do the same, "What did you find?"

Neji gave his findings over the next three hours, Shikamaru was impressed with the level of detail that the Hyuga had gone into. The plan solidified as he heard more about Orochimaru's den.

After they had finished he gathered the three and began laying out the plan for them. It wasn't complicated and he didn't require them to memorize all of it. Naruto would be doing the majority of the work, but the work was relatively easy. Neji would be in the most danger.

He finished the explanation and looked at them all, "If I missed something, let me know. It wouldn't be the first time."They said nothing. Shikamaru then handed out 3 small slips of paper. "If you forget something, refer to the paper. Timing will be very crucial."

None saw the silver-haired former genin smirking from behind a tree as he committed their plan to memory as well.

* * *

Orochimaru listened with halfhearted interest while Kabuto explained Konoha's pathetic attempt to infiltrate his domain. Had they sent a powerful force he would have had to relocate. Attempting stealth was just stupid. _You never thought I was stupid, old man. I shall send their heads back to you. _He had been volatile lately, killing test subjects on whim, prone to fits of rage.

_They have my sword! Wretched ants in the face of a god! _He took a steadying breath and smiled at a woman who was bringing him his meal. _Someone broke and spoke to Konoha, they knew the majority of my plans or they would not have survived. _He was constantly having to remind himself that while he was infallible, the actions and decisions of the people he commanded were not.

"You said they are led by a genin?" He asked, his voice like silk.

Kabuto nodded and adjusted his glasses. "I met him during the chunin exams. He quit just after the second exam started. He is thirteen and the Hokage sent him to match skills with you." If he had been hoping to enrage his master further with this knowledge he failed. For some reason the Konoha genin troubled him.

Orochimaru pondered this for a moment. The second exam is where he had failed to mark Sasuke, where the sound team he had planted lost Dosu. Where his carefully laid plans had started to go astray. He didn't believe in coincidences. "Where are they now?" He asked, his face and voice the picture of serenity but inside he was boiling, unchecked rage rocketing through his system.

"Four kilometers west by southwest of the south entrance. Near the draw." Kabuto said, sensing the growing danger.

_To wait for them or scoop them up now? _He thought to himself. _The snake never runs about wasting energy, it waits patiently for it's pray to walk unsuspecting into it's domain. _

"We will deal with them when they come to us." Kabuto bowed deeply. "And Kabuto?" He said, his voice still silken. Kabuto looked at him, waiting. "I want this genin alive."

Kabuto looked perplexed at the statement but nodded his understanding.

* * *

Chouji bowed politely to Guy-sensei. "Thank you for accepting my transfer, Guy-sensei."

Guy clapped Chouji on the shoulder, causing the genin's knees to buckle. "To have you on our team is a great honor, Chouji-san. There isn't a shinobi in Konoha who doesn't know what you did." Chouji picked himself up off the ground and blushed at the praise.

"Thank you, Guy-sensei. I'm not sure if you were told or not but I've lost my ability to mold chakra. I asked for the transfer because Lee is such a great ninja and he can't mold much chakra either."

Lee yelled, "Yosh sensei!" Flames danced in his eyes as he talked. "To be recognized as a shinobi by Chouji-san is proof that I am succeeding in my goal!"

Guy grinned down at his miniature. "Yes, Lee. That does not mean you can stop trying now, the path you've chosen is admirable but never let the fires of your youth gutter."

Chouji watched in no small amount horror and wondered just what he had gotten himself into.

"To become a ninja without the benefit of chakra molding is a tough path indeed. You must steel yourself to the rigors ahead. You are a fine ninja and a village hero in your own right, Chouji-san but you are far behind Lee on the path that stretches before you."

Chouji nodded at this solemnly and watched as Guy rifled around in a small sack he was carrying.

"To this end I present you with the first of many training aids!" Guy-sensei grinned at him and held out four sets of weights. As Chouji took them and Guy released them they fell to the ground, taking Chouji with them.

"Weights to refine your strength. When you wear these you are hindered, your body comes to expect it and tries to compensate by getting stronger. Make no mistake, Chouji-san. Your body is as much your friend as it is your counterpart. You must outsmart it at every turn and in turn it will provide you with the greatest weapon imaginable."

Chouji began strapping the weights on and saw they were made of the same metal that Akimichi armor was fashioned from. "These are..." Guy flashed him a blinding grin and nodded.

"Yes, fashioned with Akimichi talents in mind. The secret of making armor that responds to chakra is the sole domain of your clan. Your father helped me with these." Chouji finished strapping them on. He tested the weights around his wrists, lifting them slightly. _This is going to be tough. _

_

* * *

_

Shikamaru was sweating freely though he hadn't been exerting himself and the day was relatively cool. He was about to match wits in a direct confrontation with a sannin. The Konoha invasion had been a disaster and he had had the benefit of much more experienced minds than his own.

_Don't think that way. This is just like Shogi. _He said to himself. _Yeah, just like shogi. If it had about a thousand more pieces and was played in three dimensions and there were no turns, just move pieces as fast as you can. _He sighed.

Everything was set, everyone was in place. He wished he had had an opportunity to ask for suggestions but their surroundings didn't offer privacy. He was also gambling on Orochimaru waiting for them in his lair, not coming out to greet them. _Ten moves ahead. _He thought, trying to calm himself. He repeated it in his head like a mantra.

* * *

Kabuto watched the team from the shadows of the north entrance. The southern team was shadow clones. The north team was the real infiltration attempt and what he would focus on. He decided on killing the female first. She was the only jonin-level nin on the team and it would be best to get her out of the way fast. The Hyuga would be very valuable if he was a main branch member. If not...well he'd cross that bridge when he got to it. A transplanted byakugan was a very rare thing. The annoying blond would be a pleasure to kill though, even during the exams when he had pretended to be friendly the boy had grated on him. As the four approached he tensed, waiting for the right moment to spring on them. _The girl first...fast. _The byakugan user was almost at 50 meters, he'd have to strike before then.

He saw the genin leader pause, perking his ears. Suddenly a large shuriken was in his hands, another in the hands of the blond. They threw in tandum, aiming right for him. _How did they spot me? _He didn't have time to answer as he jumped out of the way, kunai flying from his hands at the jonin.

The three kunai he had thrown all found their mark, stitching their way up her chest, embedding themselves deeply. There was a loud pop as the clone was dispelled. He blinked. That hadn't been part of their plan. _They knew I was there! _

He dispatched all the clones ruthlessly, ensuring no one was hiding in the mix, he took care to only stab the thigh of the one Orochimaru wanted. Failure was not tolerated and excuses would earn him a slow death. He turned as soon as they were finished and made for the southern entrance. _Very smart but you didn't give yourself enough time. Maybe if these ones had run instead of just being destroyed. _

The southern entrance was only a two minute sprint and he arrived without breathing heavily. At the entrance he saw two kunai that had been used to spring a log trap and smiled to himself, entering the rear entrance. _Even with a byakugan user they'll be much slower. I'll reach them before they ever get close to the prisoner._

_

* * *

_

Shikamaru followed closely behind Neji, avoiding what the Hyuga said to avoid and stepping exactly as he did. It wasn't slow going but it definitely was not a sprint. Still, he had planned for the time and so far everything was going according to plan. He turned and made sure Naruto's clone was still with them. He appeared to be concentrating on avoiding traps but was in no danger of dispelling as long as he was careful. Most of the plan hinged on the clone and Shikamaru was glad to see that he was behaving as such.

* * *

Kabuto dodged a kunai trap knocking away the few kunai that he couldn't dodge. It had been moved and reset. That would slow him down slightly but he wasn't looking for a missing sanin, he'd still catch up to them. They weren't even heading in the right direction.

* * *

Naruto drummed his fingers on the grass, bored to tears but obeying Shikamaru's plan to the letter. They had been told, in no uncertain terms, that failure of any part of the plan would likely result in the death of Shikamaru and Neji. He looked over to where Shizune was hidden but could see nothing of the kunoichi. His own blanket was henged to look like the surrounding grass as well. It was a skill that he'd perfected in the academy.

He'd made about two dozen clones for the plan but was feeling pretty worthless at the moment. Everything would change once the signal came but he still hated waiting for it. Waiting was anathema to him.

* * *

Kabuto smiled as he saw the two forms rounding a corner. He had taken a shortcut, knowing that the tunnel the two had been running down curved back around without any forks. They spotted him just as he struck, his hands glowing blue he severed their hamstrings in a single strike. Both dispersed with a loud pop and he cursed in his own mind. _More clones! _Now he had no idea where they had come in. He did know their destination though and took off at a full sprint for Jiraiya's holding cell. He thought about calling on Orochimaru for help but that would likely be met with a sticky end.

* * *

Naruto shuddered as the shadow clone's memories filled him. Kabuto had caught up to the second set of clones. It wouldn't be long now.

* * *

Neji nodded at Shikamaru and opened the door. Inside, in chains, lay Jiraiya. _Shit! He's unconscious. _He took a soldier pill from his thigh pouch and stuffed it into the sanin's mouth and then slapped him as hard as he could.

Nothing. He groaned, this was going to be next to impossible if he had to carry the sanin. Neji, using his Byakugan picked the locks. The Naruto clone helped maneuver the unconscious toad sage into the hallway while Shikamaru made a clone of his own.

His own clones, unlike Naruto's, were just illusion and they couldn't place the manacles back onto it because it had no mass. Instead, he henged the clone in a perfect likeness of Jiraiya and closed the manacles, propping them up. The clone then lay down so it looked as though the sannin was still shackled to the floor. Neji locked the door behind them and he and the Naruto clone wrestled the sanin down the hallway while Neji led them.

_We'll never make it to the woods if we have to drag him. _They heard a shout from the hallway behind them, too far for Kabuto to have spotted them but exactly far enough for him to have spotted the clone. _Damn, I was hoping that bought us another three minutes. _Just as he was about to ask Neji whispered from ahead, "Here." The Naruto clone dropped his end of the sage and ran up to Neji who whispered a few quick words and then struck the clone a vicious blow, dispersing it.

* * *

Naruto blinked as Neji's instructions filled his mind. He stood and Shizune stood with him, both dropping their henged cloaks. He paced out three steps to the south and nine to the west. As he reached the spot he pulled out a ball of exploding tags and using a kunai, dug a small hole in the ground. He stuffed the ball into the ground and activated the tags. Both he and Shizune ran to remove themselves from the blast radius, even so they were both lifted bodily up and thrown a short distance. Instantly they were both up and running again. This is where time became tricky, Shikamaru had said. Both jumped into the hole that the blast had created, blankets firmly in hand.

* * *

Naruto clone number one, as he liked to call himself, heard the explosion on the far side of Orochimaru's compound. He turned back to the lesser clones, all henged to look like the team and gave a thumbs up. After counting out thirty seconds in his head he activated another set of explosive tags and tried to get clear of the blast. He almost got a curse out as the tags went off and threw him into a tree. The four clones remaining began running, half carrying, half dragging a fifth clone. As they ran they dropped half a dozen poison gas bombs behind them.

* * *

Kabuto had been almost on top of the first blast, reaching it in moments but when he emerged from the hole and into the moonlight there was nothing there. He had just enough time to wonder where they had gone when he heard a second explosion. He snarled and really pumped some chakra into his legs, blurring to the other side of the forest clearing.

* * *

Shikamaru, hidden underneath a henged blanket watched Kabuto emerge from the dusty hallway and jump up through the hole that Naruto had made. He thought about trying to Kagemane the traitor but a battle might bring Orochimaru and he didn't know if the former leaf shinobi was capable of overpowering him during the jutsu. Instead he held his breath and willed the second explosion to go off. There was a hollow thud that echoed through the hall and Kabuto streaked off. He counted to ten in his head and threw off the blanket.

"We've got less than a minute. We need to wake him up." Shizune's hands glowed as she began to diagnose him. Naruto, having a better idea, stopped her.

"Screw that. Lets get the hell out of here." His hands made the ram seal and a dozen more clones popped into existence. Half climbed out of the hole and the other half bodily threw the toad sage upward.

"That works too." He said, slightly nonplussed. In a few moments they were all running for the forest. Over the next four hours they ran directly south. Every once in a while he would have Naruto drop another batch of clones, henge them and send them out in different directions. After remaking the clones that were carrying Jiraiya Shikamaru could see the chakra drain taking it's toll on the blond. None of the other team clones that he had sent out had met with Kabuto or Orochimaru.

Shikamaru was unsure how to take that news. It would be nice to have a location on the duo but it would also mean they were closer than was strictly comfortable. They stopped to take soldier pills and drink water as the sun was coming up. They were still heading away from Konoha but he had determined early on that they wouldn't take a direct route to the village, that had been before when he thought that Jiraiya would be awake and at least semi-ambulatory. Dragging him was definitely slowing them. Shizune checked him again as they stopped.

"He's physically fine, a few abrasions and a nasty bruise on his temple. He should be awake. I don't understand it." Naruto took this to mean that the sage was bluffing, getting a free ride and kicked the man. When he didn't move Naruto blushed a bit and asked them not to pass along that particular episode.

They traveled well into that day before finally turning east and all of them looked worse for wear. He wished Chouji was there, he'd almost be able to carry the sanin himself. Still, he didn't have to coerce them into going farther, everyone knew the price of flagging now. Their mission was only half done, they still had to return Jiraiya to Konoha.

Despite his misgivings on the location of Kabuto and Orochimaru, they passed into Fire Country without incident and were entering the gates of Konoha the day after.

The guards at the gate were dressed in black and the village had a pall about it. No one smiled and the usual bustle at the market was gone, all the shops closed and only two people on the street.

After taking Jiraiya to the hospital, Shizune staying there with him, he made his way to the Hokage tower. Only one chuunin was there and explained what had happened.

"The Hokage succumbed to the wounds received by Orochimaru. Tsunade has assumed the mantle of Godaime Hokage." Shikamaru sat down in the middle of the hallway, his feet collapsing under him. The chuunin continued but Shikamaru barely heard him. "If you wish to attend the service, you'd better hurry. You have just enough time to get there." He looked down at himself and realized he was a mess. Between explosions and a non-stop flight back while carrying Jiraiya he was dirt crusted and sour smelling. Naruto was crushed, his head hanging and the beginnings of tears in his eyes. Even Neji's face was grim.

"Should we get cleaned up first?" Naruto asked, looking down at himself as well.

"No, I'd rather pay my respects first." Shikamaru heard his voice but he didn't recall making the effort to speak.

He stood and with Naruto and Neji in tow they made their way to the memorial stone. They needn't have worried about cleaning up, almost the entire village had turned out for the service and they were just another face in the crowd. The shinobi of the village all wore black and were up front but Shikamaru wasn't worried about being a part of the group at the moment.

Tsunade, at a small podium in front of everyone was speaking, "...called the God of Shinobi or the Professor. They were names that never captured who he really was: A father to us all. The lessons garnered from his life will reach far into the future, ever shaping the world that he gave so much to. Remember him, not as a victim, but as the ideals and principals he passed on."

Seeing she was done the Shinobi all filed past Sarutobi Hiruzen's casket and made their respects. Shikamaru didn't want to see him in a box and left as the crowd began to disperse, a thousand things bouncing through his mind.

He walked back to the tower, knowing he would have to brief the new hokage on his mission. He also wanted Tsunade to take a look at Jiraiya, perhaps she could find something that Shizune missed. _You really need to start thinking of her as 'Hokage-sama'. _He felt in shock. Exhaustion coupled with the news of the Thirds death had made him numb and he couldn't make himself care about trivialities.

* * *

It was an hour before Tsunade came walking up the gravel path, her own black garments making for a sharp contrast to the gray stone she walked on. "Back already, Shikamaru?" She asked, her tone light but her eyes looked red, as if she'd been crying.

"Yes, Hokage-sama." She smiled at him.

"There will be plenty of time for that in the future, for today, I don't want to be called the Hokage." Shikamaru nodded, not feeling chastised so much as grateful. It felt traitorous on the day of his funeral.

"Thank you." He said, quietly. She nodded, a small, forced smile on her lips. "I wanted to brief you on our mission as well as ask for your expertise with Jiraiya." She gestured for him to follow her.

"Shizune already told me about his condition, I was about to head over there after I changed. Changing can wait though. She also said that she was unsure about the majority of the plan that you came up with and couldn't give an accurate briefing."

Shikamaru nodded, "I kept it compartmentalized. We were being watched and I thought it necessary." Tsunade waved this off.

"I don't care why you did it, it worked. Just give me the how." _She's like my mother, overbearing, strong willed. _He sighed and took a deep breath.

"I sent Neji to scout the area. I assumed that, despite his talent, he would be detected and had, at the beginning of the mission, told the team that all instructions would be received in writing. I then lay down a false plan for whoever happened to be listening. I believe it was Kabuto but I can't be sure." He shoved his hands into his pockets as they walked down the street, heading towards the hospital. "The plan was to create clones at one entrance while the actual team went in the other. Neji, a Naruto clone and I all henged ourselves into the form of a few large shuriken. I assumed that Kabuto or Orochimaru would be at the north entrance but it didn't really matter. The shuriken were thrown into the building as if attacking Kabuto, he dodged and we were inside. He dispatched the clones that had attacked and then assumed the southern team was the real one. We found Jiraiya while he was chasing this second false team and Neji indicated to Naruto by means of dispatching his clone, where to place an explosive tag in order to open a way for our retreat."

He paused for a moment, trying to think of the best wording for the next part. "In the plan, six other Naruto clones were placed on the west side of the complex. Five henged to look like us plus Jiraiya, and one to detonate a second set of explosives tags, making the first seem like a diversion when in fact it was the actual means of our escape. The six clones made a break for it, drawing Kabuto's attention and we were free to escape."

Finished he walked alongside the new Hokage in silence. He wanted to curl up and fall asleep right there on the sidewalk but decorum kept him walking. He stifled a yawn. "You should get some sleep." She said, looking over at him.

"I'd rather wait to see what the prognosis is on Jiraiya-sama." Tsunade said nothing but she did not order him away either.

As they entered his hospital room Tsunade began to check him over before snorting in laughter. "It's an old trick, one that the Professor taught us. You can put yourself in a sort of coma-trance to avoid torture. Your body will wake you up for certain things, after three days, generally water is your largest concern but this works as well." She said and pinched his nose shut while holding a hand over his mouth. There was a sucking sound and just as Jiraiya began to turn purple his eyes shot open and he pushed her arms away from him.

"What the hell Tsunade?" He said, yelling. Shikamaru could tell he hadn't quite gotten his bearings yet and they both waited for him to realize where he was.

"Oh...hey." He looked around, scratching an armpit. "Hey!" He shouted again, drawing the ire of a passing nurse as it came back to him. His eyebrows shot up and he grinned in embarassment. "Who do I owe for the free ride back to Konoha?" He said, scratching the back of his head.

Shikamaru grunted, "Naruto mostly. It took five clones to carry you all the way from Orochimaru's hideout, 3 days of travel." He turned to the new Hokage, "If he's fine, Tsunade-sama, I'm going to turn in. Oh, I have your money when you want it, I know I've been forgetting." Tsunade looked at him quizzically and then shook her head.

"I don't want your money, I can't go bankrupting my clans. I didn't help Chouji much at all anyways." Shikamaru nodded. _One less thing to worry about at least. _He bowed to the both of them and left, making his way back home.

* * *

Tsunade sat on the corner of Jiraiya's bed and broke the news about the third to him. They had both known it was coming but it was still a hammer-blow to the hermit. They walked to a restaurant and shared a bottle of sake, reminiscing about the old man. It was getting on towards night when they finished their second bottle.

"Who'd he send after me, how'd that mission turn out?" He asked, slurring slightly.

"You're here aren't you? Worked pretty damn good." She took another swig from the actual bottle, not bothering to pour anymore and then handed it to him. "It was that Nara you saw at the hospital."

Jiraiya blinked at her, "The one that left me in the first place?"

Tsunade laughed, "Do you blame him? A mission is a mission is a mission."

"Of course I don't blame him, I would have made them leave if they hadn't done it themselves, I'm just saying."

"Just saying what?" She asked, giving him the hairy eyeball.

"You know...he could have wanted to help me." Jiraiya said, half into his cup and quietly.

Tsunade waggled a finger under his nose, "Don't be such a baby. He demanded to be the one to come get you, he's just got his own priorities."

Jiraiya snapped his fingers, "I forgot about that, how'd the Akimichi turn out? He was hot about getting you back to the village to help him out."

Tsunade took another drink. "Can't mold chakra anymore, not a lick. I told him he couldn't be a ninja if he couldn't mold chakra and you know...I think he was going to tell me where to stuff my opinions if he wasn't so polite. He said he was going to just train with Rock Lee and Mito Guy. Did you know Lee can't mold chakra either? Doesn't stop them...nope."

She looked at the bottle. "What was I saying?"

"Chakra molding." He said, taking a last drink from the bottle as she handed it to him.

"Put it in a refrigerator." She laughed, her voice loud and brassy. "Anyways, I'm telling this kid he can't be a ninja and he just laughs it off. It was him as much as anything that made me want to stick around this time. Did you know he saved the entire Academy from Orochimaru? You remember the last time Orochimaru dipped his fingers into the academy?" The toad hermit nodded but she continued anyways. "Fifty students died."

The toad sage nodded, hiding the bottle behind his leg surreptiously. "What was a genin doing rescuing me in the first place?"

"Not a genin anymore, Hiruzen-sensei promoted him, he's a full fledged special-jonin." Jiraiya blinked at this.

"He worded it like a temporary thing on the promotion scroll but I'll be damned if I'm going to drop him back down to genin, not after he outsmarted Orochimaru twice. I'll keep him limited to B-rank missions and under until the next chuunin exam, demote him and then re-promote him when he finishes."

"You're assuming he'll participate." Jiraiya said, his head propped up by his hand. Tsunade shrugged, she was pretty sure he'd participate. _Even if I have to make it a rules-be-damned mission._

They passed a few minutes in silence, Tsunade occasionally looking for the sake bottle only to forget about it again.

"Lets go swimming." He said, out of the blue.

"Where?" She said, grinning at him.

"Your place." He said, leaning in closer. She snorted at him.

Tsunade eyed him suspiciously. "The Hokage estate doesn't have a pool." Jiraiya wiggled his eyebrows at her and princess Tsunade, granddaughter of the Shodai Hokage, legendary sannin and Godaime Hokage of Konohagakure, giggled.

_Anbu-Dave_

_Read, review and (hopefully) enjoy._

_Aim: KagemaneSuccess_


	5. Chapter 5: Lessons versus Learning

Kagemane Complete

Chapter 5: Lessons versus learning

(10 days ago)

"Let them go." He said, his eyes glinting in the darkness. He rarely cared for emotions he didn't illicit from people himself, terror, worship etc. but he could tell that Kabuto was as angry as he had ever seen him. He had watched the Nara genin lead his most capable follower around by the nose and while amusing, it did little for his own temper until he realized that if he chose to stop the rescue attempt he would still be no closer to recovering his sword.

_He would rather die. _It was the one truth that he could get out of Jiraiya. The toad sage was no match for him but it would be dangerous to allow him the use of his hands to perform the necessary summoning to call the toad that he had sealed his sword into. At the very least it afforded him the opportunity to escape. His entire plan revolved around a false assumption, that he could torture Jiraiya into doing as he wished.

_No, _he mused, _a subtler approach is needed. _"You'll have your chance to repay the Nara." Kabuto was never out of control but he could almost smell the rage boiling off of his calm exterior. _How he repays him will be interesting to see._

Together they walked back into the confines of his violated sanctum. Tomorrow he would leave the place, never to return but it would serve for the night.

Kabuto said nothing, walk patiently next to his master. A woman approached the dias where Orochimaru sat, bringing with her a tray of food. The form he occupied at the moment was female and as such he didn't find that her body intrigued him as it normally would have.

"The Nara will bring us the sword." The snake sannin said, eating a grape. Kabuto bit his tongue and Orochimaru instantly smelled the blood he had drawn. He smiled to himself, it never failed to amuse him when Kabuto made his little slips.

"Let me bring it back." Kabuto implored, his voice completely smooth. The sanin could see the slight tremble in his hands though and couldn't resist testing the man again.

"No. He's smarter than you, Kabuto. He may not be a match for you in combat but he's ever so much more intelligent." He let that sink in before continuing. "You will find a bit of...leverage to motivate him and he will solve my problem for me."

"As you wish." Kabuto said, still completely serene. Orochimaru saw his gaze flick towards the retreating back of the female that had served him and didn't envy her the fate that the look promised.

* * *

(Present day)

Shikamaru sneezed as the cloud of chalk dust settled around his shoulders. His entrance into the classroom was met with a chorus of laughter. The eraser that had been suspended on the cracked-open door fell the rest of the way to the ground with a tiny puff of dust. He rubbed his stinging eyes and saw that only one person wasn't laughing, Konohamaru who was grinning at him defiantly.

He sighed. _Little brats. _

Part of his new duties as a temporary jonin, _she should have demoted me back like a asked, _was being an instructor at the academy. The students, while still in awe of Chouji, didn't see the Nara as anything but another instructor to be tormented.

He'd been working on this particular form of his jutsu for a while and smiled maliciously when he brought his hands together. He watched as his shadow lanced out, splitting two dozen times and latched onto the shadows of every student present.

They stiffened, the laughter cutting off instantly.

"Alright, brats." He said, raising his left hand in front of him. Seeing the rest of the class mimic his movements he then waved his hand to the side. The room filled with smacking sounds as the students slapped the person next to them. He raised his right hand, repeating the maneuver. It was harder than he thought it would be. Even though they were runts they were still collectively pretty strong and all fighting him at once.

"Today we're going to learn about the chakra routes." He released them and they slumped back into their seats rubbing their cheeks and noses. There was some muttering but the class had settled down now and he continued on.

"To demonstrate I'll need a volunteer." He smiled at Konohamaru and the boy swallowed heavily.

* * *

Asuma was waiting for Shikamaru at the end of the day, standing just outside the play area and smoking a cigarette. He waved at Shikamaru who nodded back and walk to him. "Ohayo, Shiki-kun." Shikamaru rolled his eyes.

"I was going to ask you for a game. You've been pretty busy lately and I'm hoping you're a little rusty." Shikamaru smiled at him and nodded. 'Busy' had in fact graduated to 'harried' and he'd had precious little time to spend with his sensei.

Together they walked through Konoha. "It's been a couple days, you're still on the jonin roster though."

Shikamaru shrugged, "I tried talking to the Hokage but she said we were short on competent ninja and refused to demote me back."

Asuma chuckled, "Well I wouldn't worry about it too much. Part of the paperwork involved with promoting someone to Chunin is removing their instructor from responsibility for them. Since that didn't happen, you still get to train with us." He patted the Nara on the back and Shikamaru sighed.

"I never planned on getting past chunin. Average ninjas don't get past chunin." Asuma thought about this for a moment.

"You're a bit above average, Shikamaru."

"I wasn't being self deprecating. I didn't _want _to get past chunin. Everyone's always worried about being the best. That's a good way to die young in our profession. I'll become a chunin, marry a girl and have two children, girl first than a boy. I'll retire after my daughter is married and my son is a successful shinobi."

"You could be Hokage you know." He said, snuffing the stub of his cigarette on the side of his boot.

"That would depend on your definition of Hokage, I guess." He pointed over his shoulder at the Hokage monument but Asuma didn't follow his gesture. "The Third is how I would define a Hokage. He once told us that everyone in the village was precious to him." He caught Asuma's eye. "I'm not that empathetic."

"Some define the Hokage as the strongest shinobi of the village. The Third was that as well. Something I'm definately not or ever see myself becoming."

Asuma thought about it for a moment, "I think a Hokage is someone that protects the village with every asset at their disposal. You care enough about the village to do that much. As far as being strong...my father was strong but you didn't see him sparring council members to get his way did you? Strong is just another word for effective. He was the best at protecting the village so he was Hokage."

Shikamaru thought about this for a moment and then shrugged.

They walked in silence the rest of the way to Asuma's home. He reflected that he no longer had to call it the Sarutobi estate, the Third was gone now. A black ribbon was tied around the front door of Hiruzen's home, signifying a period of mourning for the household. When it was removed Asuma would take his place there as head of the family.

That Asuma had led them to his home instead of just to the park where Shogi boards were already set up should have warned him that something was off with the invitation. He attributed his lack of observation to the students of the Konoha ninja academy. It had taken the majority of his faculties to say on top of the class, eight hours later he was more than a little worn out.

As he rounded the corner on the limestone path he saw Chouji and Ino sitting around a small outdoor table. Ino noticed him almost as quickly as he had spotted her and stood quickly. His own feet stopped but Asuma's hand appeared on his shoulder moving him along. Chouji turned and said something to Ino and while she didn't appear to relax she did return to sitting.

"It was Chouji's idea." Asuma said, a little too smug with himself.

Shikamaru steeled himself as his two former team mates watched him walk to the table and seat himself opposite Ino. Asuma sat to his left and Chouji was seated to his right.

"Three guesses why we're all here?" Asuma said, grinning. Shikamaru decided that he would have to punish his sensei for this particular deception. _It had to happen eventually, you can't avoid them forever._

When no one answered Chouji spoke up. Shikamaru noted that he was still incredibly thin. He wondered if was a continued affliction since the chunin exam invasion or a result of training with Guy and Lee. "I don't know what happened during the invasion that left us all like this but someone's going to have to tell me."

Long moments passed and they were all silent, Chouji looking from Shikamaru to Ino and then back again. Neither of the two met his gaze and he made a raspberry sound.

Asuma spoke up first, "Maybe if we all explained what happened to us during the invasion?"

Chouji nodded, starting it out. "Ino and me escorted civilians to the southern bunker, we were attacked but managed to fend off the ninja that were after the academy students for Orochimaru." Ino spluttered.

"_We _didn't do much, you did all the fighting, Chouji. I was knocked out almost immediately." Her cheeks were bright red and her eyes were incredulous.

"Well...that could have just as easily been me that they had been standing behind. Neji gave us our column assignments, you just happened to be in the rear. Your warning is probably the only reason it didn't happen to me too." She opened her mouth to argue and it snapped shut again with a click.

When Shikamaru said nothing Asuma nudged him, "Your turn."

Shikamaru sighed and took a breath. He explained about the genjutsu user, his encounter with the anbu and finally the fight between the Suna nin.

"How'd you beat both of them?" Chouji asked, looking sincerely curious. _Even though he fought four and won. _

"I used them against each other. We saw Kankuro utilize poison in conjunction with his puppet against Kiba. That one was destroyed but the one he attacked with was of a similar build. Temari uses chakra enhanced wind. Wind and poison are a powerful combination but they weren't used to working as a team. I dropped a smoke bomb which she dispersed with wind creating a precedent in her mind." Chouji looked at Asuma, unsure of what Shikamaru meant.

"He means he was setting her up, the same thing that had worked on her before when Hinata did it." He explained, interrupting Shikamaru.

Shikamaru nodded, "She appeared to think of repetition as a measure of desperation." He took another breath and continued. " Then I dropped another between the two them, hiding both me and his puppet. I infused some spit with chakra.." Ino blanched at this. "...and used it as a delayed fuse on a lock-tag to rupture the gas canister in the puppet's chest. When Temari dispersed the smoke from my bomb, it pushed both the smoke and the poison over Kankuro. At that point I hoped she was quick enough to realize that she'd been defeated twice by being 'set up' and when I threw a third smoke bomb she stopped it from hitting the ground, using wind to toss it up into the air. I ignited it with a kunai and used the shadow it created on the ground to capture her."

"Why not just use an explosive tag on the puppet?" Asuma asked, knowing half the answer.

Shikamaru grinned at his sensei, forgetting the reason for the explanation in the first place. "Most poisons in use by shinobi are biological, weaponized versions of naturally occurring toxins. Snakes, spiders, certain frogs. When made gaseous they can be neutralized by flames, returned to their base elements and relatively harmless." He slouched down in his chair.

"Explosive tags are meant to damage tissue in two different manners. One is the rapid expansion and contraction of the air immediately around the explosion, a physical shock wave that causes direct impact damage generally in the form of internal injury. The second is the flame wall, which causes a chemical-type damage. The first thing that most shinobi are taught about explosive tags is that when exposed to one in close proximity the one thing you can do to mitigate injury is hold your breath."

Chouji and Asuma nodded, Ino just looked rebelious. "The lungs are made up of a thin and delicate tissue that can easily be seared and cause the injured person to suffocate when they otherwise would have escaped unharmed. If he had seen a ball of flame heading towards him on a chakra enhanced wind he would have held his breath, rendering the poison, if it had survived the flames, useless anyways. At best he would have come away slightly singed."

He shrugged uncomfortably, remembering why he hadn't had the chance to tell them about the fight in the first place. "A lock-tag is a directional charge that is relatively flameless. It's used, as the name implies, to blow locks off doors. The problem was that they are made to go off immediately with the application of a certain amount of chakra as they are harmless to everything except what they're placed on. I didn't want to be near the puppet when the poison was released, so I used spit to delay the explosion. This also made the explosion somewhat stronger but the plan itself worked." He glanced at Asuma, making sure the explanation was what the jonin had been looking for and then continued.

"Then I just explained to Temari that her village had been tricked and we called a truce."

As Asuma spoke up to congratulate him on the battle Ino shot to her feet pointing a finger at Shikamaru. "Why didn't you come help with the evacuation or even come to the hospital sooner?" She said accusingly.

He sighed, "I was trying to figure out what Orochimaru had actually been up to. I wanted to prove and disprove everything I had concluded. I thought it would help me the next time I was part of planning a defense. I didn't know you or Chouji had been injured until the Hokage did." He looked positively miserable as he said, "I didn't think the evacuation was going to be dangerous in the slightest."

"The entire reason behind them attacking during the finals was to tie up as many of our shinobi in evacuating civilians as possible, thereby leveling the field of battle somewhat. The very act of them attacking as I predicted precluded them, in my mind, from attacking any ninja that demonstrated themselves as a part of the evacuation effort. I didn't think that they might actually want to take prisoners for some reason. Given what I'd learned about Orochimaru, I should have thought of that."

Chouji leaned over and patted him on the shoulder, the hand that had been severed squeezing slightly before returning to the Akimichi's side. "You can't think of everything Shikamaru. That's what you were worried about, right? That you missed something?" Chouji didn't bother to wait for an answer. He turned to Ino and spoke in the same tone, "You were worried that you hadn't done enough and mad that Shikamaru was being lazy."

"Stuff happens. We all did the best we could but it sounds like luck was just as much a part of it as anything else. Anyways, I'm tired of not having my best friends around me and around each other." Shikamaru watched as he reached out to Ino and actually held her shoulder, without her pummeling him, and did the same to his own. "This is all settled, yeah?"

Ino sniffed and Shikamaru could see she was on the verge of tears but she mastered herself and nodded, "Except now we have to break in a new team mate." She said, grinning at Shikamaru.

Shikamaru nodded anxious to get on the kunoichi's good side. _If there is one. _He saw that Chouji's hand was still on her shoulder and realized that there was indeed one. "I spent a few days with him, he's way too serious. It's going to be troublesome getting him to relax."

Asuma huffed, "A bit of seriousness might do you both some good."

Chouji grumbled, "I'm part of team-Guy now. You are not allowed to complain about taking on Neji when I have to wear earplugs for training sessions." Ino giggled and even Shikamaru grinned. Asuma started laughing.

Shikamaru wearing the flak jacket that marked chuunin and jonin and Ino remarked on it. He sighed, already annoyed with her again. He had hoped he would be able to keep that part of his recent mission a secret.

"Naruto told Lee that you were promoted to Jonin." Chouji said, leaning forward. Ino spluttered something that he was probably glad he didn't catch and he explained the circumstances around his promotion.

"So they want to be able to send you on tougher missions but they can't promote you to chunin until the next exam." Ino said, grumpily. Shikamaru hadn't thought of it that way and decided to confront Tsunade about it.

"I guess, yeah."

* * *

Hinata pushed the tips of her fingers together in a nervous gesture as she tried to summon the courage to approach Naruto. She's just heard from Kiba that he had returned from an s-class mission without a scratch on him. She was standing just outside Ichiraku's ramen listening to Naruto regale the story to his team mates.

"Shikamaru had it all figured out, that they were listening to us. So he gave us _two _sets of instructions, what he said out loud was fake, the paper he gave us was the real plan." There was a slurping sound and Hinata stifled a giggle.

"Anyways, the rest was like I said. We blew up Orochimaru's hideout, carried Jiraiya out and were gone before they knew what hit them." There was a muffled voice and Naruto spoke louder.

"Yeah and how many S-rank missions have you completed?" He asked, sarcasm dripping in his voice.

Sakura's voice rose over the sounds of a small scuffle, "Stop it, both of you!" The sounds died down and Hinata waited for them to finish their meal. Naruto exited the shop with a surly looking Sasuke and Sakura bearing a forced smile right behind him.

_You made it into the finals, no one in their team can claim that. _She said, trying to shame her legs into moving. At first she thought she was going to chicken out again but suddenly Naruto was right in front of her.

"Ah, ohayo, Hinata-chan." She blushed at the familiar form of address but it pleased her.

Sakura cracked Naruto upside the head, mistaking Hinata's blush for discomfort. "Be more polite!"

Naruto rubbed his head and glared at Sakura. A moment later his feigned anger was gone and he was staring at Hinata who had obviously walked up to him in particular.

"I just..." She started, feeling her voice grow weak. _Just a little compliment. It's not hard. _"...wanted to congratulate you on your mission. Neji-nii-san...told my father about it."

Naruto grinned at her, rubbing the back of his head. "Thanks Hinata, Shikamaru and Neji did most of the work but I helped a little." _So modest, _she thought.

"You and Shikamaru are the only ones from our class that have ever even tried an s-rank mission and he said you finished it without a single injury." Something dark passed over Sasuke's face but Hinata's eyes were on the ground and she missed it.

"Yeah, I thought he was a coward, for leaving the pervy sage behind but granny Tsunade said he was being a real shinobi, you know?" Naruto said, a little uneasy with repeating it.

"Ano, Naruto-kun. I don't think leaving behind your friends is very good thing." Sakura rolled her eyes and Hinata would have been mortified but she was still staring at her feet.

"That's what I said!" Naruto yelled, happy to have a second opinion. "I don't think that's really what Shikamaru was doing anyways. He just hasn't gotten to know the pervy sage yet. He was bringing back granny Tsunade to help Chouji with his hand. So maybe he thinks so too. We should ask him." That settled he grabbed her hand and led her off down the road.

Sakura looked at Sasuke but the Uchiha's eyes were distant and brooding.

* * *

Anko threw two kunai, bracketing the head of the closest little bastard, almost pinning his ears to the wall behind him. Her eyes, brown and without pupils bore into him as she generated a mountain of killing intent.

"Pay...attention." The words came out in a low growl and only the razor keen blades on either side of his head kept him from nodding until his head fell off. She stepped towards the paralyzed troublemaker and yanked the kunai back out of the wall. A bell rang and she stood up straight, a bright smile appearing on her face. "Remember to practice your shuriken throwing for the test tomorrow!" She said, waving happily at the rest of the class.

"You know, they frown on that sort of reinforcement, Anko." Umino Iruka said from the doorway. Anko had seen him as he had entered and didn't turn to him as she collected her things.

"It's good for them. You should see what the Nara does, it's hilarious." She punctuated this with a sharp laugh remembering Moegi's explanation of the 'Classroom Control Jutsu'. "Besides, I'm not taking crap from someone who's barely stopped playing with their own." She stared at Iruka a moment.

"You didn't come here to criticize my teaching techniques. What's shakin'?" Her voice was jovial but her attention was focused now.

Iruka pushed away from the wall he was leaning against, looking uncomfortable now. _Oh hell. _She thought in warning. _Either my ass is on fire or he's going to ask me on a date. _

"Well..." He started and though all hope was lost she looked over her shoulder, hoping to find a flaming posterior. The problem with using your looks as a distraction is that it was an indiscriminate weapon.

Friend and foe alike suffered.

She liked Iruka but he was about as interesting as a bologna sandwich. You'd eat one if you were starving but you wouldn't rave about it afterwards.

Iruka shuffled his feet and seemed to find his stride, he took a breath and as he was about to speak Shikamaru passed through the hallway behind him.

"Hey, kid!" She yelled. The Nara didn't turn around. _What the hell is his name? Circle something...sparse...oh damn it all anyways! _"Nara!"

"Sorry Iruka, I've been meaning to catch him. Mind if I get back to you?" Iruka grinned in an embarrassed and relieved manner and nodded vigorously.

"Sure thing, see you tomorrow."

The Nara, looking annoyed turned around not bothering to ask what she wanted. She grabbed her bag and trotted to where he waited. "Hey thanks...you." She said, punching his arm in what she hoped looked like a familiar manner.

"It's Shikamaru." He said, looking at where she had struck him as if she had left a smudge.

She snorted, "I knew that." He eyed her, explaining exactly what he thought of that lie.

"Anyways...I was thinking we'd catch up on that thing." His stare didn't abate but now it felt a little dry.

He turned away from her and set his hands behind his head. "You'll have to tell him you're not interested at some point. It's going to be hard to come up with different excuses every day."

"I don't know what you're talking about, kid. I wanted to talk."

"Don't call me that." He said, genuinely annoyed now.

"Call you what?" She asked quietly, looking over her shoulder, wondering if Iruka was on his way out of the building as well.

"Kid, don't call me that."

She looked back at him and snorted. "Stop being one." Then barked a chuckle.

"What are you, like twenty?" He asked, trying not to be baited.

Anko cursed colorfully, "I'm twenty one, you little shit."

Shikamaru ignored her and continued walking at his own pace, his gaze centered on a particularly wispy cloud.

"Anyways, I was talking about your mission." She said, remembering his rescue mission notes.

Shikamaru sighed, "Congratulations." He said, giving up on the clouds and shoving his hands back into his pockets.

"Huh?" She said, not really paying attention now. Her full attention on the building behind them.

"You finally came up with a passable excuse. That only took what, four minutes?" He stopped walking and she bumped into him. "Look, lady. Iruka lives to the east of the academy. In case you're wondering, we're currently walking west." He pointed at the sun in front of them. "The warm bright thing has spilled it's secret." His hand dropped and he fixed her with a lofty stare. No small accomplishment as she was a head taller than him. "Your nefarious and, might I add well thought out plan has succeeded without even your participation in it."

"Hey!" She said, her face going pink. "You shouldn't talk to your superiors like that, kiddo."

"Unless you suddenly became Hokage, we're both jonin." Her mouth opened to say something and stopped, finally realizing what he'd said. "I know!" He cooed, trying to fake the same surprise that was painting her face. "I checked, it only took you five years extra to do it. You definitely shouldn't let _that _keep you up tonight."

He started walking again and this time she didn't bother to keep following. _I'm tired of every woman I know treating me like I'm an idiot. _

Anko turned and opened her mouth, meaning to give that Nara boy an earful and realized she was alone in the small courtyard. "No...you." _Jonin my ass. _She thought, adjusting her bag on her shoulder. She shook her head and disappeared in a flurry of leaves.

* * *

The next day Anko closed the door to her classroom and drew the small shade that covered the window.

"Alright you little turds, today's lesson is tactical planning." She wasn't looking at the class as she spoke but was still drawing shades down all around the room.

"Uh, Anko-sensei...we're not due for tactical planning until second year." Anko rounded on the girl, her face screwed up in anger but schooled her features quickly, painting on a smile.

"Yeah, you're doing great. We're skipping ahead." Finished with the blinds she stood in front of the chalkboard. On it she wrote, 'Pranks/Missions'.

She drew a horizontal line between the two. "Alright. Name some things a good mission has." A Hyuga spoke up, _the perky little devil._

"Planning, sensei." She pointed at him and grinned.

On the board under the mission column she wrote, 'Planning' in a barely readable hand. "Exactly right, a decent mission involves planning." She pointed to the 'Prank' column. "Now that your little hamster wheels are squeeking," She said, gesturing at the rest of the class, "I challenge you to think of one thing a good mission has that a prank does not."

After about twenty minutes of naming different things the mission and prank columns were still even. "Tactical planning, my little meadow muffins, can be taught through the ancient and venerable art of pulling pranks." She erased the board completely and turned back around, chalk at the ready.

"Planning, timing, effort versus effect. It's all there and we're going to stuff your rotten cabbages full of good tactical planning practices. As a great ninja once said, 'If you want to get better, get your second ass out of that book and hurt someone!' Fieldwork is the best teaching device." She pointed the chalk at the whole class in a sweeping gesture.

"You monkey missiles give me some pranks and we'll pick the best together in a fair little system I like to call, 'fascist dictatorship'. We'll plan them, set them up and use them to teach not only you hopeless lot but also the people we pull them on."

An Aburame spoke up, "What are we teaching them, sensei?"

Anko grinned happily, "Not to cross the mighty Anko."

* * *

Ibiki walked quickly on his way towards the Hokage Tower. One of the sound four, the only one still breathing, had offered up a relatively interesting piece of intelligence. He'd finally gotten Dosu under control again after Kakashi's bumbling and his world was perfect, right angles again. Everything in it's proper place.

He'd brief the Hokage about the update and perhaps eat out as a reward to himself for a job well done. _Dango too. _

As he neared the tower he spotted what could only be described as a man-sized chicken walking with an obviously angry gait.

They were on the same walkway and moving in opposite directions and the crossing was unavoidable. For that he was supremely glad. As he neared the figure he finally realized it was Mitarashi Anko, feathers occasionally drifting off of her. The wind gusted at her back and he realized, from the smell, that she was also covered from head to toe in glue.

"Rough day?" He asked, his face completely blank.

"I don't want to talk about it." Both continued on as they had been.

* * *

Shikamaru tried to ignore Shizune's stare as he gave his weekly academy report to Tsunade. The students were meeting all required expectations and exceeding in history and problem solving. As he finished the Hokage snickered.

He rolled his eyes and sighed, "Go ahead, Shizune's going to explode if she doesn't say something." Both the women started laughing.

"Going for a new look, Shikamaru?" Tsunade asked, her voice strained from trying to talk.

Shikamaru ran his hand over the bald dome of his head and grumbled again. He'd have to wear a bandanna until it grew back or he'd be subjected to this sort of ridicule for months. The line of pranks that had plagued him over the last few weeks had bled over into his home life as well. Culminating in a hair removal agent in his shampoo. He avoided about half of what was thrown at him but while the pranks themselves were starting to repeat, the planning behind them was growing in complexity and effectiveness.

He knew who was behind it and he wondered, briefly if responding in kind would be the best way to deal with it but dismissed it.

Tsunade, taking pity on him, told him to eat his weight in carrots and eggs and return the next day. Using the nutrients in his system she restored his hair, still chuckling from time to time.

* * *

The first few pranks were definitely a balm to her wounded pride but as the class began to respond to the 'lessons' and actually showed improvement in advanced problem solving and tactical planning she had an passable excuse to continue them.

What never changed was Shikamaru's reaction to whatever they managed to come up with. At first it was disappointing, he'd sigh, stop what he had been doing for a moment, ostensibly to try to reverse engineer what had happened and then go back to exactly what he'd been doing before.

Or cleaning up, depending on the prank they'd succeeded at. She refused to try the 'tar and feather exploding tag' again, much to the chagrin of her students. The disappointment in his reaction faded and evolved into something else.

It became her personal mission in life to illicit a _real _reaction out of him. She had set rules for this mission. She could never be cruel, the pranks had to be self funded and she had to use ideas that her class thought up.

She poked her head into his class just after the bell rang and gave him a friendly wave which he returned with a half nod. Feeling energetic she went back to her own class and shut the door, her mind racing.

"Talk to me." She said, waving her hand in a 'come on' gesture and taking up the chalk again.

The appointed class speaker, changed every other day, was a larger boy. Not an Akimichi but definitely a subscriber to their philosophy.

"Wet the Bed." He said, waiting for a response.

"Dan..." She said sweetly, turning around to address the 'speaker'. He looked up, smiling uneasily. "...next time you see your mother I want you to slap her. Come on you guys, you're better than that! I don't know about you but approaching a Nara in the middle of the night sounds like a pretty crap plan to me. How'd that get past Effort versus Effect? Next." She said, not bothering to write the first one down. Behind her she heard someone slap the origination of that particular idea on the back of the head.

"Hokage Undie Leak." He said, reading his paper carefully.

"Explain." She said, writing the name down.

"We steal some of the Hokage's undies and put it in his locker in the teachers lounge and leak to Shizune where they 'might' be."

Anko thought about this for a moment and nodded. "Lets run that through a cruelty committee."

Four students sat in a semi-circle while a fifth handed out ballots. The rest of the class continued to place ideas on the blackboard as the committee argued, at one point quite heatedly, if the prank was too cruel to make muster. After deliberating a bit longer they handed Anko a small folded piece of parchment.

"Hokage Undie Leak:" She said, reading aloud. "Found too cruel, as evidenced by Jiraiya's near death experience when caught peeking at Tsunade." She finished reading from the slip of paper and turned to the committee. "Guys..._near _death is not _actual _death." They gave her a collectively ugly look and she put a line through 'Hokage Undie Leak', muttering about liberal committees.

It went on like that for a few hours, the board gradually filling up with ideas. She turned to class treasurer as a passable one showed up. That particular job was supposed to rotate as well but only one of them was good enough with math to handle it and her name was not Anko. "What sort of funds do we have for this?" She asked the blond, a former Suna student named Lynn, who checked her notebook.

"Twenty two Ryu." She said, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose. Anko shook her head, putting a line through the last idea.

She sighed, "We'll never get that much butter for twenty two Ryu." She turned to her class and saw they were as stumped as she was. "Good session today, we'll pick it up again tomorrow. We need a coup on this one and no repeats, I'm looking at you Daeli." She said, pointing at a brown haired boy near the back of the class.

"Tomorrow, is kunai testing, general melee and short range missile skills. Be spectacular or we go back to normal lessons." There was a general groan at the thought and she saw five students grab Lynn, who was still a little shaky with a kunai and hustle her out of the building for extra training. She cracked a window to the outside and yelled after them. "And I mean spectacular, if the Hokage shows up I want her happy as a pig in..."

"Anko!" Shizune said from behind her. Anko turned around quickly and saw both the Hokage and Shizune there. The latter holding a pig. _Ironic, _she thought. Anko grinned in what she hoped was a genial way, suddenly wishing she had erased the board instead of yelling after her students.

"Explain that first one there." Tsuande said, pointing at, 'Hokage Undie Leak'.

PAGEBREAK

Shikamaru sat with Neji and Ino at a small restaurant near the Hokage's tower. They'd been tasked by Asuma to work on their team cohesion. Their mutual sensei was still out of town on a B-rank. So it was up to them to self-start, not something that Shikamaru had ever been good at.

He looked at Neji and shrugged in apathy. He'd hoped the older shinobi would take the reigns with this. "I'm just a jonin on the books, when I get demoted you'll be the senior chunin, might as well get used to our team dynamic and have you take the lead now."

"It's not my destiny to lead you, Shikamaru." He said coldly. Shikamaru sighed, though this time in frustration.

He decided to poke the Juken user. "Why is that?" He asked, not bothering to hide the annoyance in his voice.

"You're better at leading than I am, I see that now. It is mine to follow and yours to lead." Neji said, and Shikamaru thought he was about a second away from actually grinding his teeth.

"And _why_, Neji-chan, am I better suited to lead?" He asked, maneuvering him into the impossible question.

Neji looked away, pinking slightly at the too-familiar form of address, "You're smarter than I am." He said in a tight voice.

"Well then, as your intellectual superior... " Ino snorted at this and he chose to ignore her. "...I'm telling you that if destiny exists, it can't be fathomed by you or me. As a result of being unfathomable, everything we do, regardless of whether governed by destiny or not, is _still _completely in the realm of free will because we can't perceive any 'plan' that might actually exist." Neji opened his mouth and Shikamaru silenced him with a raised hand. "Believing you can fathom something that is by it's _own _definition incomprehensible is not only delusional but also potentially self destructive and really a rather appalling cognitive abdication."

"Before you wrap your mind around all that and believe what you want to believe anyway..." He said, leaning in closer to the Hyuga. "...in my universe that could either be ruled by destiny or not, I get your desserts." He took the two sticks of dango from Neji's plate and smiled at him in what he hoped was an annoying manner. "When you believe in free will again, you can have your desserts and dignity back, Neji-chan."

Ino eyed the two dango sticks in Shikamaru's hand and gestured for him to give them over, it would be a nice surprise for Chouji when he _finally _finished training for the evening. _Shikamaru doesn't even like dango. _He gave them to her and she wrapped them in napkins, not looking at Neji.

"Since we have to do this with a third of our team in cognitive surrender...we might as well get started." He paid for their meal and led them outside.

"Alright, last one to training area nineteen..." The farthest from where they currently were. "...has to do 10 laps with the princess." Instantly Neji was off, streaking over rooftops.

Shikamaru watched the chunin disappear into the distance and turned to Ino. "Lets find Chouji." He said, walking at a lazy amble in the opposite direction.

Ino caught his eye, "You know he's going to be mad right?"

Shikamaru nodded, "Training is not just becoming physically better but mentally as well. Right now he's clinging to a pretty weak ideal and I don't know why. He's not stupid, which means he's either emotionally invested or being difficult on purpose." He pointed back over his shoulder. "Little exercises in humility as well as making it difficult for him to ignore the glaring incongruities of that principle are the only things I can think of to help him past it."

Ino smirked, "We could actually train though, while you're making him do all that."

Shikamaru nodded, "We will, I just wanted to see Chouji, I haven't seen him in a week. It's hard getting time with him now that he's taken up Guy and Lee's training regime."

Ino nodded, not bothering to hide her annoyance with the situation, "He's always sore now too. I wonder if they're pushing him too hard."

Shikamaru watched as her face grew first annoyed at the situation then softened as she worried about Chouji and then finally breaking into a smile as she obviously thought of him.

"You haven't mentioned Sasuke in a while." He observed obliquely. Ino looked at him sharply.

"Sasuke was...a phase I think. I was talking with my father just after Chouji was admitted into the hospital after the attack." Shikamaru looked at her questioningly.

"He said that Chouji was a good _man." _She said, sounding a bit embarrassed. "I don't know if you understand, but a good boy is someone who obeys their parents and is respectful of their elders and a hundred other tiny things. A good guy will help you move your house or take a few lumps with you in a fight. I've only heard my father call four people good men before. The third and fourth Hokages, Choza and now Chouji." Shikamaru didn't remark on his own father not making the list, he had always been known as the rogue of the group.

"Trying to break that mysterious, brooding shell was fun but Sasuke didn't stand alone in front of the children of the village against four nin. Sasuke didn't save my life when I needed him most and Sasuke wouldn't be happy with a hand that couldn't mold chakra because he'd lost it doing something brave and worthwhile." He saw tears in her eyes and ignored them, trying to preserve her feelings.

She sighed, "Now I'm stuck trying to undo all the damage I did to our relationship while I was worried about silly little Sasuke."

Shikamaru chuckled and shook his head. Ino, thinking that he was laughing at her, clouted him one over his ear, bringing his mirth to a crashing halt.

"I didn't mean it like that. It's just that...Chouji is pretty incapable of holding a grudge when someone is really penitent." He rubbed the reddening ear.

She shook her head, "Not like that. I mean I've convinced him that he's not worthwhile." Shikamaru smiled at her.

"I know you're used to working a bit surreptitiously because of the way Sasuke is but really...you don't have to agonize over finding the right way to manipulate Chouji into liking you as well. Just tell him." Ino looked at him, scandalized.

"I can't do that!" She said, with a horrified expression. Shikamaru rolled his eyes.

"Why not?" He asked, not really caring. She'd figure it out or she wouldn't. Either way he didn't think that his generation of females was going to be fighting over Chouji. Most of them were just too shallow or too involved with other things.

"Because he might say no...or that he doesn't feel the same way."

"That's a fools argument." He said, offhandedly.

She glared at him, "Watch it, Shikamaru. I'm not going to take your crap like Neji." He sighed.

"Look, you've got years before your of a marrying age, I'm assuming that's what we're talking about, right?" He asked, not bothering to dance around the topic. That was the problem in the first place. Ino nodded, looking away from him.

He inhaled deeply and let it out nosily. "Give yourself some time, Ino. You just got done fawning over Sasuke." She blushed at this. "Take some time to find out who you are before you attach yourself to another love interest."

Chouji picked that moment to round a corner, limping slightly, sweaty and dirty. Shikamaru marveled at how much his friend had changed in just a month and a half. Gone was the substantial girth he had cultivated as a result of his bloodline. His shoulders were the same size but looked broader now that he'd burned off most of the 'excess chakra reserves'. His face, while still open, was more angular and he was developing a layer of muscle from training with Guy and Lee that would be quite intimidating.

He heard Ino muttering about stupid geniuses while she took Neji's dango from a small purse and showed them to Chouji. "I brought dango!" She said, grinning at Chouji.

Lee, now next to Shikamaru could only marvel at the scene as the prettiest girl of their generation fussed over his sparring partner. "Chouji-san is _so _cool."

Shikamaru, who couldn't argue with that, led Lee away from the two.

* * *

Neji waited at training area nineteen for the next two hours then backtracked his own trail to where he had left his new team mates. Realizing he'd been had he schooled his emotions, which wanted him to track down the Nara demonstrate 'Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms.' in great and personal detail.

As he walked back to the Hyuga compound he went back over in his head the conversation with the Nara.

_"...cognitive abdication." _His face made no outward sign as he struggled with the internal conflict Shikamaru had created. He recognized an impossible question when he saw one. Shikamaru had appeared to accept his destiny as a leader, then reinforced that position using Neji's own answers to his two questions.

He then told Neji that while he couldn't prove he was wrong, he could prove he wasn't right and proceeded to chip away at his belief structure. Neji didn't believe anyone to be infallible but they were perfectly within the confines of destiny and while he was intelligent, Shikamaru was intelligent to a greater degree.

This meant that even if Neji didn't understand or even agree with the Nara's conclusions, he had to abide them in respect to the boy's destiny. Only, his conclusions negated that philosophy, meaning that while he had to give credence to what Shikamaru had said, at the same time...giving credence to it meant he didn't have to pay any attention to it as well. It was little wonder that Maru meant 'circle'. _Around and around I go._

He sighed, which for a Hyuga was tantamount to screaming at the sky and continued on his way, lost in thought.

* * *

Hyuga Hiashi kneeled with perfect poise at his family table. To his right his eldest daughter served tea to his youngest daughter and Neji. It was, strictly speaking, against decorum to serve branch members at a main-house table but everything surrounding Neji's place in the family was slightly colored by his father's sacrifice for the greater good.

Hinata finished serving the tea and kneeled as well.

"Your promotion to chunin on your first attempt is pleasing, Neji." He said, holding his sleeve back as he sipped his tea.

Neji bowed to him as he kneeled, "Thank you, Hiashi-sama. I am only sorry I was unable to give a true demonstration of the power of the Hyuga clan to the gathered spectators." Hiashi nodded, accepting this.

Hanabi stared at Hinata but the elder Hyuga daughter only had eyes for her father, fervently hoping that he would acknowledge her own victory in the preliminaries. When he said nothing she returned to her meal, her face carefully blank.

"When are you due to meet with your team?" He asked, fixing Neji with his eyes.

Neji thought about this for a moment until he came up with an acceptable answer, "Asuma-sensei is not due back from his mission for another two days leaving Jonin Nara in charge of our team." Hiashi's mouth tightened at the mention of the youth but otherwise made no mention. "We have no set meeting time, I had planned on finding them after breakfast. Asuma-sensei has tasked us with improving our team cohesion."

Hiashi said nothing, giving no indication of his thoughts on the matter.

They finished the rest of the meal in silence and after Hiashi rose they stood as well. "If you are not expected, you will meet me in the dojo."

Neji bowed, waiting for Hiashi to leave before straightening.

* * *

Hiashi called a halt to the spar, his robes in perfect order and his Byakugan still active. He surveyed his brother's son and could see some sort of conflict within him. Annoyed he ordered Neji to release his own Byakugan. The order was obeyed immediately.

"Brush Knee and wait in the forward." He said, his Byakugan scanning everything about his nephew from pulse rate to perspiration. Neji obeyed, neatly and immediately. The movements looked no different than from the countless other times he had been trained in the dojo but Hiashi struck out, quick as a snake and closed a tenketsu at Neji's right shoulder blade. The arm fell limp and Neji groaned but otherwise his stance and poise were uninterrupted.

"Leave this house and do not return to my table until you've regained some measure of calm!" He said, his voice harsh and his words cutting. Neji bowed deeply and backed away a few steps before turning on his heel and leaving the dojo.

* * *

Shikamaru didn't acknowledge the Hyuga as Neji joined them on Asuma's porch. Their jonin still wasn't back from his mission but the invitation to his home was an open one as he had wanted his students to have a place to gather consistently.

Ino waved at Neji who nodded tersely.

"Were we actually going to train today or did you plan on another pointless trick?" The Hyuga asked, his normally impeccable calm slightly damaged from the realization that after hours of meditation, he was still as conflicted as he had been yesterday.

Shikamaru, either not seeing his internal conflict or not caring said, "Never pointless, Neji-chan. Just because you can't understand what I'm doing doesn't make it pointless...that would imply you know better which is exactly the sort of thing that's impossible if it's my destiny to lead and yours to follow."

Neji called on the majority of his self control to bow politely and apologize. Shikamaru, of all things, appeared frustrated and stood up.

"Today we'll be working on our synergy. Gentle fist is not dissimilar to the Akimichi body-enlargement in regard to applying it as a compliment to Yamanaka and Nara bloodline techniques." Neji wished he could hear that same statement come out of Shikamaru's mouth in front of Hiashi-sama. Being compared on even terms with the slovenly Akimichi clan was beyond the scope of what he could imagine Hiashi-sama reacting to.

"As you say, Jonin Nara." He said, in perfect deference.

Shikamaru decided to ignore him, "The actual mechanics behind the two are completely different but the same principle of 'we hold them, you pound them' applies."

Shikamaru then spent the next few hours demonstrating and in turn having them demonstrate their abilities. When Neji demonstrated the sixty-four palms Shikamaru stopped him.

"You said branch members weren't permitted to learn such things." He said, not asking a question in so much as making an accusation.

"I taught myself. The techniques are the result of a natural progression from adherence to the form and discipline of Gentle Fist." He explained. It was a quote from the Juken handbook but aside from the founder of their clan, no one had ever been able to prove it. Branch members were the most talented among them and would likely have taught themselves as well but they were never put to the test as it was handed to them from generation to generation.

Shikamaru blinked at Neji. _He's teaching _himself _the Juken techniques?_ His mind tried to wrap itself around that. He had a few ideas for jutsus gleaned from his father's own techniques but...this was completely different. _I need to examine that in greater detail, _he thought, _later though. _They'd put off training for a day already.

As Shikamaru tried to adjust Neji's way of thinking to their group dynamic he put them through several scenarios. In team Guy they were all mainly taijutsu users. Tenten to a lesser extent, her weapon scroll summoning was a ninjutsu but was still physical damage, making the transition to a primarily ninjutsu team was..._Not going to be easy. Especially as he doesn't consider himself a part of a team, just an individual grouped with others. _

"Reliable, firsthand and timely intelligence is something that wins fights. To that end, I give you the Yamanaka." He said, gesturing at Ino who was doubled over and panting, hardly looking impressive.

"You may not realize it but she is our deadliest weapon in a fight, she's also incredibly vulnerable during her jutsu." Neji opened his mouth to speak and Shikamaru cut him off. "I know what you're thinking but trust me...the deadliest. In a single opponent fight, we can simply work together and learn as we go, being careful to avoid anything that would cause impairment, to that end you would likely bear the brunt of any assault while I gathered intelligence, as you are the best fighter among us."

He gestured at three training logs, "In a fight with more than one shinobi several things should happen if we're working together."

"Mind possession is a slow attack and travels along a straight line. It's easy to avoid, much the same as the Akimichi jutsus. Very powerful, slower attacks. My job in particular and your task to a lesser extent is to pin an enemy shinobi down while Ino possesses them. While possessing them she gathers the pertinent information about techniques, plans and group structure. While this is going on, your sole responsibility and mine, to a lesser extent, it protecting her from harm."

Neji looked at the Yamanaka, taking in her dimensions and nodded to Shikamaru. Shikamaru then sat Ino down, as if she'd just possessed one of the logs. He then used blunted kunai and shuriken in an attempt to attack her using standard shinobi techniques.

Neji countered everything he could throw at the Kunoichi, making it appear easy. He had activated his Byakugan but instead of his hands being wreathed in a blue glow he had a kunai in each and was knocking the weapons away halfheartedly.

"I think we might have to get a few other people to really challenge you in that aspect...but you get the idea." Shikamaru said after a while, beads of sweat on his forehead. _He's been training with Tenten, a few kunai here and there is probably pretty pathetic compared to her attacks._

Neji holstered the two kunai, still not breathing hard. _That's just annoying. _He thought, grumpily.

PAGEBREAK

Shikamaru tried to rub the soreness out of his shoulder. Juken strikes were painful to say the least and he'd spent the last third of the training for the day in various spars with Neji and Ino both. Ino wasn't a strong fighter, something she'd been working doubly hard to improve since Chouji's injury but Shikamaru could still get the best of her. Neji, on the other hand, was completely beyond him in terms of skill. The Hyuga didn't even need to use gentle fist, he could beat him in general taijutsu as well. Their team work was progressing, if slowly but it still had a long ways to go before they reached the fluidity that they'd experienced with Chouji.

_In good time. _He thought, lamenting how sore he was going to wake up in the morning. Chouji would tell him to eat bananas and he resigned himself to bolting down a few before he slept that night.

He was exiting the training area when he became aware of a potent and malicious presence in the form of killing intent. He tried to make no outward signs that he knew but he heard a chuckling from the darkness of a nearby alleyway. His heart skipped a beat as he heard footsteps, walking towards him, from the alley. His hands came up and he felt his shadow spreading out beneath him like a puddle. He could make it quite large and virtually undetectable in the wane light and did so, stretching it out in all directions but mostly in the direction of the footsteps.

_Unknown, running or fighting hold the same dangers..._ He tried to pick up some small detail of the silhouette that was emerging but nothing would reveal itself. He was able to mold chakra but his right arm muscles were all but useless. _Maybe seventy percent overall combat effective...dark though...improved jutsu range, power reduced. _

He sighed, trying to appear bored when his heart was hammering in his chest now, "Just come out already, these theatrics are really troublesome."

The figure, by a method unknown to Shikamaru, perceived the shadow coming towards him and leapt onto the side of the building, glued there with chakra. Shikamaru barely saw him/it move before he was flying across the road to land with a crash in a pile of garbage cans. _Shit. _His jutsu released and his shadow snapped back to it's normal size. He picked himself up and watched as the figure walked closer, taking it's time. Building on his fear.

_Bit of a lighter episode this time. =-)_

_Read, review and (hopefully) enjoy!_

_Anbu-Dave_


	6. Chapter 6: With friends like these

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Naruto...I also do not have an IQ of 200+...if I suck, it's because I'm reverse engineering cool.

Kagemane Complete

Chapter 6: With friends like these...

Sasuke grit his teeth as Naruto bounded off, the Hyuga girl in tow. The only thing that he could think about was Sakura's words. _The youngest jonin since Itachi. _He'd never told her that he was an avenger for his family and thus she hadn't know how her words would affect him. Not telling her wasn't a conscious decision she just never interested him enough to divulge his motivations to her.

_Shikamaru. _Sasuke knew intimately the ranking of the class he had graduated from, _I was first I should know!_ Shikamaru had been 7th from Naruto. _Seventh from last! _How a talentless Nara had risen from nothing to a jonin even before he had made chunin was beyond his ability to comprehend. _I've always been the strongest. _He watched the retreating back of Naruto, dead last who had single-handedly defeated Gaara, the strongest candidate for chunin.

He tried to rationalize this as an unwanted result of being held virtually captive for a month during the exams but the reasoning couldn't overcome the hammering need in his head to be the best. _I have to be. Itachi was._

His mind went back over that night in his head. It invariably did whenever he felt like he wasn't attaining his goal. He understood, at some level, that his desire was a long term endeavor but he couldn't stop his palms from sweating, his mind from churning up the same old garbage over and over again to torture him with. In short, Sasuke was impatient. It had been long years since his brother had murdered their entire clan. Long years to brood on their deaths, to build up hate for his once beloved brother. Years of nightmares and flashbacks. After it had happened he had been in shock and really hadn't had time to think about what to do next. Later he was placed in an orphanage until such time that he could take care of himself and had gone to the counseling, talked about his feelings. He had been a normal child up until the event and in many ways, as only children can be that resilient, he had gone back to some semblance of normalcy.

He could remember the instant it had all began to change though. Many of his peers thought he just didn't care to do the things they enjoyed doing and while this was true now, it hadn't always been that way. a It wasn't with the death of his family, though that was the catalyst. His path had been a conscious decision brought on by a simple conversation with someone whose name he couldn't even remember. He had been crying outside the orphanage, he remembered that much. For the loss of his family, not uncontrollable hatred for his brother. The man had walked up to him and sat down, taking pity on the orphan. He had regurgitated the wrote responses and philosophies of the counselors he had been seeing. 'Forgiveness will allow you to move on.' 'Let go of the hatred and start living.' When he explained the reason for the tears the man spoke to him a great length. He had said that if forgiveness was the way of the world, the path of righteousness, then why have laws at all? Anyone could do anything and simply be forgiven.

Retribution, punishment for wrongdoing and the implacable dedication to, if not righting the wrong at least avenging those who had been hurt was the true path to a utopian society. If a man stole your shoes, you didn't forgive him for being a thief. You got your shoes back if you could and punished him for stepping outside the moral norm and ensure that his example kept others from following in his footsteps.

He had repeated this philosophy to himself whenever he had wanted to play with the other children, wanted to talk to a girl or any of the thousand other foolish things that children do that fascinate them so much. After a while, it grew easier until finally he felt no urge to partake of the trivialities of childhood.

It began going past that though, what was plainly visible to him was beyond the attention of his peers. Why would he play games when there were wrongs to right? It seemed irresponsible and he found himself in contempt of them. In some cases, outright disdain crept to the surface. _Don't they know they have a responsibility? _

He knew his moral compass and subsequent behavior had somewhat socially retarded him. He was unable to carry on any meaningless conversations for the sake of hearing his own voice but was that really such a bad thing? To only speak when you had something pertinent and important to say? To tend towards silence when matters became stupid and meaningless? In this respect he knew he was better than his peers and while he didn't consider himself an elitist, he wasn't comfortable with his own age group either.

Now, despite being all these things and denying himself so much, he had been surpassed by someone who had displayed no remarkable shinobi skill and had willfully indulged in laziness, trying only as much as was required to succeed. His antithesis. Some, like Kakashi, had thought that pairing Naruto and him together seemed a logical step towards softening their more rigid personality traits. Naruto would learn to be a little more circumspect, he would gain a bit of levity and perspective. Naruto always tried his best though. In that they were alike, so much so that it made him uncomfortable to dwell on it for too long. Shikamaru was much their opposite. Subtle where they were bold, taciturn where they would act but most of all, he was just pleased with being a half-assed ninja. _Yet he is a jonin and you are a genin. _Naruto had said the promotion was temporary but that didn't cross his mind at all as he grew angry.

_No more. _He would show them all what it meant to be an avenger. What it meant to be the kind of person that could deny themselves every aspect of levity in pursuit of justice and righteousness. A true Uchiha, the most feared clan of the ninja world and of which he was one of two surviving members. _Soon to be the last. _

* * *

Shikamaru leapt to his feet. The sour stink of rotten garbage was strong and he felt something soak through his pants. Causing him to wince. He wanted to run but without knowing the relative abilities of the ninja that now stalked him, he was loath to turn from him.

_It would help to have Neji or Chouji here. I hate fighting blind. _He saw a sharp glimmer in the moonlight and threw himself to the side, hoping he was in time. Something slipped past him with a small whoosh, cutting his thigh. He felt the thing trace a line of fire across his thigh but ignored the pain. _Superficial, minor tissue damage, capillary bleeding only. _

He rolled to his feet and was moving, trying to get some cover between himself and the assailant. He heard something else whiz past him and it clattered off the stone of the street. _Shuriken, minimum amount of reverberation. _

What he needed was an anbu. _They're _supposed _to be patrolling, damnit. _He dipped his hand into his thigh holster, thankful that he had decided on actually wearing it to the academy. He came out with a kunai and an explosive tag. While he wasn't so self centered as to start setting off explosive tags in the center of a residential district to save himself, he knew the risk of collateral damage was minimal given the plan. He wrapped the handle of the kunai with the tag and ignited it with his chakra. With an underhand motion he threw the tag directly into the air, as high and hard as he could.

Far above the rooftops the tag went off and while it caused no structural or even asthetic damage, it was deafening in the calm night. _That ought to bring them running. _He thought happily. He saw the attacker stop out of the corner of his eye and turned to see if he recognized the shinobi. There, in the temporary and blinding flash of firelight was Uchiha Sasuke. His mind did a backflip trying to figure think of all the possible reasons that the Uchiha would have to try to kill him.

_That doesn't matter at the moment. More important is that you just detonated an explosive tag in the middle of town right after a major invasion in order to out a shinobi that just attacked you. _He didn't doubt that the Hokage would agree with his reasons for doing it but that was if he chose to tell the truth in the matter. More important, even than washing clean the garbage he had fallen into, was figuring out what the hell was going through the Uchiha's mind. If the Uchiha had indeed gone rogue it would be a small matter to tell the Hokage then, getting the asshole in trouble now would just complicate the investigation though.

"Get out of here, idiot. I'll tell them I did it." He said, not believing the words were coming from him. If Sasuke was a traitor there were definitely better targets for him to choose. Killing off a genin of little import was..._jonin..._ok jonin of little import. _Orochimaru got to him. _The thought came unbidden to his mind. _No, if Orochimaru got to him, he'd be either blind or dead. _

The Uchiha smirked at him, as if he were the one doing him a favor by leaving. _Prick. _Shikamaru sighed grumpily, lamenting his pants. He'd have to wash them tonight or simply toss them out. Still, he waited for an anbu to show up and was rewarded with a tanto at his neck.

"Explain yourself quickly." The masked ninja said, his voice a whisper. Not quite rube but not interested in pleasantries either.

Shikamaru grumbled inwardly at the situation, "Just take me to the Hokage, I've got to talk to her anyways." The mask regarded him for a moment.

"You're that Nara." It said, slightly muffled. It was a male voice but he couldn't place it.

Shikamaru looked pointedly at his shoulder, both of which bore the Nara clan symbol and then looked back at the anbu. "What gave it away?"

Instead of answering the anbu gestured him towards the Hokage Tower. He began walking and heard the anbu jump back onto the roofs. He was, no doubt, still following the Nara but he was glad for the isolation. It gave him a chance to think.

The only thing that he could come up with was that he had wronged the Uchiha personally. Aside from having him locked in a dungeon for a month, he couldn't think of anything that he could really take exception to. _A month long stint in the torture and interrogation headquarters would make me mad. _He thought. To be fair though it wouldn't make him angry enough to attack someone.

It took him twenty minutes to walk to the Hokage tower and he was no closer to forming a theory than when he started. He nodded to the chunin guards and was pushed into the room by the anbu. Shikamaru noted that his mask was fashioned after a cat with red markings on it. He also saw that his tattoo was on the anbu's right shoulder, further confirming he was male.

The Hokage was standing at the far end of the room, looking out of her window at the sleeping village. "I hope this is about that explosion." She said, not turning around.

The anbu answered with a quick, "Hai."

The Hokage turned around finally, eying both of them critically. "Thank you, Tenzo. I'll deal with Shikamaru." The anbu made a quick bow and sank through the floor. She fixed the Nara with a keen stare and gestured heatedly out at the village. "Any particular reason you felt like scaring the daylights out of half the village?"

Shikamaru wasn't above lying should the occasion called for it but he didn't want to be caught in a lie to the Hokage. "I was attacked." He said, his hands slipping into his pockets.

Her gaze grew hard. Before she made the wrong conclusions he explained further. "I know who it was but I'd rather you let me handle this. I'm unsure of the motivations behind it and I'd rather find out for myself before you start cracking skulls."

She snorted though not entirely pleased with his statement, "I will not have shinobi fighting in my streets, Shikamaru. I'll give you until sunrise tomorrow to do whatever it is you think you need to do."

"Thanks." He said, meaning it.

Tsunade eyed him critically. "I will expect a report."

He sighed, if Sasuke was a traitor, he'd write a full and detailed report. If he was just being a jerk, the Hokage was in for a disappointing read. _'I fixed it.'_

He refrained from chuckling until he was almost down the first flight of stairs.

* * *

"Why do you need my help with him?" Ino asked, looking perturbed.

Shikamaru pushed a shogi piece along the board, capturing another of the Hyuga genius's soldiers. If it bothered Neji to constantly lose he showed no sign of it. "What am I going to do when I capture him?"

Ino shrugged, "Run him headlong into a wall?" She said, not really caring.

The Nara gave her what he hoped to be a dry look. "I don't want to hurt him, I want to find out if he's a part of a larger problem or just being hormonal."

Neji, not generally given to over communicating had been unusually quiet the last few days, barely saying anything so when he spoke now, both his team mates paid attention, "He likes to fight people that would be a challenge for him."

Shikamaru didn't think that fit his situation. "I'm not exactly a challenge for him." He said, not really thinking that was the reason.

"I would win in a fight against him, fair or otherwise and you defeated me in a fraction of a second." The Hyuga said, studying the board closely.

"That was just a trick like you said, in a fair fight you'd come out on top. I'm not proud of that but I'm not exactly going to kid myself either." Shikamaru said, watching as Neji made the one move that bought him three more turns.

Neji appeared to notice that he'd only delayed the inevitable now but he made no offer to capitulate. "We are not samurai, Nara-san. I would think that you, of all people, would understand the value of a victory bereft of honor." He watched Shikamaru push a piece across the board, his face passive.

It took him less time to make his move, he'd planned out his loss already. It annoyed Shikamaru that he didn't just capitulate but he continued on. They finished quickly and Shikamaru answered. "Still, I wouldn't think Sasuke would think that deeply about it. He's always struck me as a person working on whim."

"There is something that constantly eats at him. I do not have Hiashi-sama's skill with reading opponents but I can see this much. Whatever it is...he may be the single most disciplined person of your class. He also finds you all contemptable. For what reason I can't say."

Shikamaru thought of this for a moment. Ino broke the silence, "That would explain the whole brooding thing. He thinks he's better than everyone else." Neji looked at her, making her blush slightly.

"I agree, though he doesn't demonstrate an abundance of vanity. If I were to guess, his perceived superiority does not stem from believing he is..." Neji struggled with a way to phrase it.

Ino made a face, "All that and a bag of chips."

"Yes, but _instead_ from his belief that everyone else is less than they should be." He finished resetting the board and Shikamaru stared at it.

Ino continued on, "He gives Kakashi-sama the same treatment whenever I see them. That doesn't really make sense cause Kakashi-sama can beat him, no problem. He's even worse around that sanin guy. The pervert. _He _could wipe the floor with Sasuke and Kakashi-sama combined."

Shikamaru spoke without meaning to, "You're assuming his belief that everyone is 'less than they should be' stems from their prowess as a fighter. If it's a philosophical difference it would still apply to Kakashi and Jiraiya."

Neji made no gesture but Shikamaru knew that if he had been wrong Neji would have called him on it. The Hyuga clan was infamous for reading opponents. Their byakugan allowed them to see near-invisible shifts in a persons stance, facial expression and subconscious or autonomous functions. This coupled with advanced training in psychology allowed them to make devastatingly accurate summations of a persons emotional and rational thought processes.

He had no such training but could see the deficit and decided to learn as much as he could from the Hyuga. The conversation had given him much to think about but he was hoping it would be a moot point soon. He was going to treat Sasuke as any other person who attacked him until he found out his motivations. He would have preferred to have the Hyuga along but while he was no byakugan user, he knew that his impossible question had still not been answered.

"Well, that's it for our training, Neji-chan still has some learning to do, he's way behind. Use the rest of the day to meditate on what good reason I could possibly have for wanting your desserts. Remember to pay particular attention to the fact that I gave one to Ino."

Neji, who had not grown used to the form of address, had at least mastered his reaction to it. "As you say, Jonin-Nara." He crossed his legs in front of him and closed his eyes, leaning against an oak support.

Shikamaru led Ino out of the compound and when they were out of earshot of Neji she spoke. "Why do you keep poking him? He's not going to take it much longer."

Shikamaru sniffed and shuffled along at the same lazy pace he always set. Sasuke wasn't going anywhere. "That's what I'm hoping. At least for the most part."

Ino looked at him quizzically and he sighed, resigning himself to explaining. "If he decides to stop obeying it would mean one of two things. The first is that he's come to the conclusion that he is in charge of his own destiny and thus willing to take responsibility for his actions. A paradigm shift. That's what this has always been about. Trying to get him to see the virtue of fate versus free will."

Ino waited for more but when Shikamaru didn't speak she prodded him with a finger in his ribs. "You said it meant two things. What's the other?"

He didn't look at her, he'd hoped she wouldn't ask. "The second is that he suffers a mental breakdown from trying to reconcile his emotional investment with his rational conclusions. If that happens, you should probably just run."

She snorted and arched her eyebrow at him, "And what will you be doing if that happens, o' fearless leader?"

"As I'm the one that caused the initial, internal conflict...I'll probably be quite dead." He said, finishing in an almost whisper.

Ino punched him in his shoulder, "That's not funny."

Shikamaru nodded, "I agree."

They walked in silence for a long time, making their way towards the Hokage tower.

"You haven't told me the plan yet." Ino said, uncomfortable with the silence at last.

"Which part do you want to hear about?" He said, looking at her quizzically. Their relationship had improved remarkably once they found a common ground, it being Chouji. She was not as shrill and demanding of him and in turn he was less annoyed with her.

"Well...all of it." She said, a confused expression on her face.

"I don't have the time to explain it all. I'll explain your part in it for the first three phases." After that, her involvement would be minimal at best. He explained his plan in a hurried whisper, while the Hokage tower loomed in front of them. He finished just as the chunin guards laid eyes on them.

"Just a report." He said, looking at the two.

The left one, _I should learn their names, _gestured towards Ino. "What about her?"

"She got the intelligence in the first place. It's not like I bring people here when I don't need to." He said with an annoyed look for the chunin. He wasn't sure he saw correctly in the darkened hallway but the chunin actually appeared to fidget in embarrassment. _Well that's new. _

One poked his head into to the door and spoke quietly. When he straightened he opened the door and gestured Shikamaru and Ino inside.

The Hokage was seated at her desk now and looked up from a stack of documents. He opened his mouth and she motioned him to silence again. She shuffled through the papers and brought one out, spilling the stack over the side of her desk. For once, Shizune wasn't present and the fallen papers went untended.

"Got my report on the attacker?" She said, eying the paper carefully.

Shikamaru spoke in an offhanded manner, "Would you prefer a first hand accounting or my report?"

The Hokage looked up at him, arching an eyebrow. "That's a dumb questions, first hand is always preferable."

"I'll need two sharingan users." He said, looking bored.

"We've only got two." She said archly.

Shikamaru shrugged, "Then it's a happy coincidence."

Ino tried to keep her face blank during this exchange. The Hokage called for the chunin outside the door and gave her orders.

"While we wait for the two to show up, take a look at this." She said, sliding the document across her desk. He caught it with his hand and read it quickly.

"That's too close to Orochimaru's last known location. I would refuse."

"It's a lot of money." She said, looking at him with an unreadable expression.

"That's the main reason I'd refuse. You don't put stones at the end of a stick to lead the donkey along, you put a carrot."

It was the same conclusion she had come up with but she was curious if his deductive ability was centered around combat or applied to the more subtle as well.

"Oh, when Kakashi gets here, you'll have to order him to not interfere." He said, offhandedly.

The Hokage leaned back in her chair. "I don't enjoy being manipulated, Shikamaru. This had better be good."

He hoped so as well. That said he henged himself and waited with Ino until the sharingan duo arrived, by window which wasn't something he had planned on. _Why don't they use the stairs like every other person in the village? _

Sasuke spared a look for Ino and 'Neji' as they backed away from the Hokage's desk. _His team mates._

The Hokage gestured for the jonin and genin to sit but both stayed standing, walking around her desk.

Tsunade spoke first, "Do not interfere, Kakashi." Just as the words registered with Sasuke he felt a weight settle over him, forcing his breath out and locking his limbs in place.

The copy-cat ninja went back to reading, unconcerned.

"Kagemane complete, go ahead Ino." Shikamaru said, still in a Neji henge. He couldn't release it without disrupting the kagemane.

Ino made the appropriate symbol with her hands and felt her consciousness flow forward, gliding in an inexorable line towards her former crush. When she finally struck him and entered his mind she battered against his will. It was short work but she remarked, in her mind, that he was resistant to her presence.

Once she had control she tossed his conscious thoughts into a corner like garbage and made a thumbs up to Shikamaru. The Kagemane fell away from her and she devoted her attention to Sasuke's motivations, immediate memories and daily habits.

What she found shocked her almost as much as the oto-nin had. Sasuke's will began to try asserting itself again and she slapped it away offhandedly. Her (Sasuke's) eyes refocused and she took in the room, turning to stare at Shikamaru. "I'm done. Take him again." Shikamaru's henge had been dropped and he made his clan's symbols, his shadow lancing forward, slower this time and latching back onto Sasuke's form.

As soon as she felt the weight of the shadow possession take hold she released her grip on his mind. She knew that no residual effects had ever been documented in regard to the mind swap but she still felt as though she needed a shower.

As she returned to her body she inhaled deeply and stood up. She looked to Kakashi who's book was gone. "How could you not see what he is?" She said, her voice filled with venom.

Her face filled with loathing she took a kunai from the pouch at the small of her back. Shikamaru watched her walk towards Sasuke who was blinking his eyes, trying to shove off the disorientation of being mentally suppressed.

Shikamaru hadn't planned on this. Ino was easy to anger, sure...but she never tried to do any lasting damage. He watched as she approached Sasuke, kunai in her hand. He could have released the jutsu but whatever she had found, she hadn't told him yet and he was afraid that Sasuke would attack her as she was the closest one to him and the only one with knowledge of whatever secrets he possessed.

* * *

Ino didn't know exactly what she was doing until she started doing it. She felt vile after sifting through Sasuke's mind. He wasn't an enemy of the village but he certainly wasn't an ally. He was just learning what he could here, biding his time until he could complete whatever mission he'd set himself on. She had seen his battle with Shikamaru, known his motivations, petty as they were. What really pissed her off was his complete disdain for not only her but also Chouji. _Stupid fat-ass is he? _She thought, her anger bringing a blush to her cheeks.

That by itself was enough to anger her but he was actively thinking about leaving the village and becoming a missing nin now. He felt that Kakashi's tutoring was coming too slowly and that the general philosophy of Konoha where people mattered most, was slowing his learning.

Sasuke was not to be trusted and she would mark him so that any who saw him would know.

* * *

Shikamaru watched in dismay as Ino, florist and kunoichi, brought her kunai up and began to carve a circle in Sasuke's cheek, the tip of the kunai cutting deeply. The genin growled in his throat but was unable to move even his mouth as Shikamaru tightened his grip on the Uchiha.

He brought Sasuke's arm up and took her hand in the Uchiha's. He shoved the hand away and spoke, "That's not for you to do." She didn't want to kill Sasuke which meant that whatever he'd done he was still redeemable. It also meant that if he didn't redeem himself that she'd be his primary focus. Shikamaru wasn't willing to allow this just because he'd needed her help in his plan. _I have to take the attention off of her. _

He stepped forward, both him and Sasuke walking towards each other. Thankful that Sasuke's own holster was located on his back, he drew a kunai from his thigh holster and stepped within intimate range of the Uchiha. Staring into the boy's eyes he finished the circle that Ino had started and then cut a diagonal line through it, the symbol for his clan. The Uchiha was an enemy for life but after the attack it wasn't a new development. He looked into Sasuke's eyes and knew that the genin had forgotten about Ino's involvement. _That's the important part. Kami I hope she had a good reason for marking him. _He felt blood drip onto his hand from the upheld kunai and let it fall to his side.

The Uchiha was battering himself against the Kagemane and Shikamaru felt his control becoming strained. He turned his head to address Kakashi and fixed the copy-cat ninja with his eyes. "He is out of control, restrain him."

"Why should I? The Hokage may think the sun sets with you, Nara but you've just mutilated my student for no explained reason."

Ino shouted back at him, "And you've been training a monster! He doesn't care about you, the village or anything but whatever his damn mission is." She pointed at the bleeding Sasuke. "He's a sociopath and if you haven't seen that yet I can't see how you ever made jonin."

Kakashi's face fell and he stepped forward, walking behind Sasuke. He took hold of the Uchiha's arms and nodded to Shikamaru. He released the Kagemane and sagged visibly. How the Uchiha had become strong enough to almost overcome his technique was beyond him.

Ino spoke as Sasuke glared murder at Shikamaru and tried to writhe free of Kakashi's grasp.

"He attacked Shikamaru because he made jonin before him. It wasn't even to prove himself to others. He doesn't care what other people think. He only wanted to see if he could defeat someone who had made jonin as fast as..." She paused at this, her hand climbing up and resting on her temple. "I don't know. He's gauging Shikamaru by another person. It's difficult to tell. There's too much rage blocking the actual name. He thinks of the person as 'it' or 'him'." She thought about this for a moment and then spoke again, "Brother."

Sasuke was staring directly at Shikamaru but when she said this his gaze shot back to her and he screamed, "Shut your mouth!"

The Hokage turned to Shikamaru with a grave look, "I'll talk to you later." She said, leaving no room for argument.

He turned, looking at the Uchiha who was still too enraged to actually speak. "If you heal him, make sure there's a scar. I want him to remember." _Kami, I hope that's enough to make him think of me when he grows angry. _He tried to give the Hokage a meaningful look but was unsure if the message was received.

"Outside, Ino!" He barked, ordering her like a subordinate. _That's right, Sasuke. She was just following orders. _He was too caught up in gauging Sasuke's reaction to notice that she actually obeyed.

* * *

Asuma stumbled into his family residence. It had been a painful reminder of his fathers death every time he walked through the doors but tonight it seemed like sanctuary. It was unusual for him to find a mission to be so difficult but the B rank he'd been on had evolved into an A rank. _Was my own fault. _He thought, tiredly. Realizing the error had fixed it though and he'd managed to finish, albeit a bit later than he had anticipated.

He walked along the limestone path to his own house, his entire being focused on the bed that he knew was waiting for him.

As he limped up his porch steps he saw Neji sitting cross-legged and leaning against a pillar. He looked at the obviously troubled Hyuga and then at his inviting front door and sat down next to the boy.

The silence stretched out and he felt his eyelids growing heavy. "How's the training going?" He asked, rubbing his hands together, trying to get his circulation up again.

Neji's eyes snapped open and fixed on Asuma. "It is progressing as Jonin Nara wills it." Asuma winced at Shikamaru's new title. While not apt to grow an overlarge head it wasn't something he should get used to either.

"Anything interesting?" He asked, hoping to draw Neji out of his shell.

"I am not allowed to imbibe desserts in his presence, otherwise I have been able to follow the logic of his methods." _What the hell? _He thought, trying to think of a way to phrase _that _question.

"You seem troubled." He ventured, realizing that was a very large understatement. For him to be able to detect any emotion on the Hyuga was remarkable by itself.

"I am." Neji said quietly. _We make them grow up too fast. _He thought bitterly. It was the way of the world though. Large burdens on small shoulders.

He stood up and gestured for Neji to follow him. "Come on, I'm hungry. I'll make some soba. I don't have any herring but I think I have some salted tilapia."

Neji looked at him sharply and stood as well. "How'd you know that is my favorite?"

Asuma grinned at him, splitting his cut lip again. "I wouldn't be a very cool sensei if I didn't know what your favorite food is. Guy told me."

He led the chunin inside and washed his hands. Soba wasn't particularly hard to make so long as the prep-work was done. Like any other noodle you just boiled it for a while. The tilapia was raw though and he was careful not to dry it out. _Was saving that for Kurenai...oh well. _

They ate in relative quiet and Asuma was despairing of ever seeing his bed. _Guy said, "You have to let him come to you. If you pursue him, he'll never open up." _Halfway through the meal he finally spoke.

"I've been having trouble with the logic of some of my philosophies." He said, staring at Asuma unsettlingly.

Asuma nodded somberly, the statement had Shikamaru's handwriting all over it. "What sort of trouble?"

He asked, taking another bite of the soba. _Too stiff still. Oh well. _

"I don't think I've been correct." He said, somewhat obtusely. _He doesn't want to explain what he's been believing in. _

Asuma took a tip of his tea. "I came to my father with a similar problem once. I was worried that I was too trusting. People could lie to me and I would believe them every time. I thought it was a personal weakness." He leaned back in his chair. "Not being able to tell lie from truth is certainly a professional liability and that's why I was worried."

Neji stared at him intently and Asuma continued, "My father said, 'There are some things that are worth deluding yourself over.' I didn't really know what he meant. It seemed like a pretty dumb thing to come up with but he was saying that some things are worth believing in and make you a better person for believing in them. My own problem was that I trusted everyone I met as I would a brother. He asked me why I was worried about my inability to see lies. I gave him the obvious answer, if I couldn't tell truth from lies than I would fail as a ninja as soon as someone discovered my weakness." He lit a cigarette and took a long drag from it.

"He said I was a better person for believing that all people could be trustworthy. Now, believing that everyone is an honest person is a blatantly flawed view on life but it's something I've tried to keep alive. I believe what people tell me not because I've never been proven wrong, but because I want to believe that they are honest and essentially good. If you have something that you believe that makes you a better person, regardless of it's veracity, believe in it. Logic doesn't answer all questions or even most."

He looked across the table at the Hyuga and realized the boy looked even more troubled than when he'd first saw him. _I really should have requested leave until the team is gelled._

"Thank you, Asuma-sensei." He said politely. Asuma stood and Neji followed suit.

He escorted him to the door, trying to imagine what it was the boy was talking about. He'd just have to ask Shikamaru tomorrow. For now, his belly was full and he was about to start sleeping on his feet.

* * *

Shikamaru listened with the Hokage as Ino explained what she had found, his motivations as well as a detailed list of all his strengths.

"He knows a lot of katon jutsus." That was not a surprise. The Uchiha were known to be fire nature types. "The sharingan...thing. He's activated it. Everything he does he feels he's learning too slowly...like it's a race to complete his mission. Impatience and hate fuel him but his outlook on the rest of village is what's allowing him to make decisions." She paused looking for the right words.

"There's a break in obvious logic that he's not seeing either and it's the 'seed of insanity' as my father calls it. If he doesn't figure out why he's so conflicted all the time his mind will eventually compensate."

The Hokage looked at her, "Compensate how?"

"Generally he'll start having consistent and terrible nightmares, he'll grow overly excitable. This manifests in all emotions, he'll be giddy where he would have been simply happy, morbidly depressed when he would have felt saddened, enraged when he would have otherwise been annoyed. He'll start sleeping more and more as his subconscious tries to repair the damage he's doing." Ino took a breath. "In later stages, if untreated, his mind will separate him from reality. This is accomplished by either causing hallucinations that are reinforced, sometimes violently, by his conscious mind, or by a personality split. He'll develop another entity within his own mind to cope with the stress he's putting on his higher functions."

Tsunade was familiar with the concept though she'd only ever seen two genuine cases of it. Nothing that Ino was saying was news to her but she still wanted to hear it from the village brain experts. "What about his loyalties? I'm not going to expend energy and time in trying to heal the mind of someone that's only going to put it to use sabotaging the village."

Ino glanced at Shikamaru but the Nara said nothing. _What's she want me to say? The Hokage asked a question, that's practically an order._

"He has no loyalties, not to Konoha but not to any other village or group either. He only has one goal and everything he does is centered around it. If he completes missions it's because he thinks they will make him stronger, if he trains with Kakashi-sama it's because he thinks he still has something to learn from him. Once he's done with the village, he plans to leave it. He's already started thinking about it."

Tsunade leaned back in her chair, a scowl appearing on her face. "He can't possibly think he's learned all he can here." She said after a bit.

Ino shook her head, "That's correct, Hokage-sama. He's convinced that being here is slowing him down though. It's the impatience, his rage eats at him, the fault in logic eats at him and all of this is causing him to feel a large amount of growing pressure. He attributes this pressure to learning too slowly or being held back. I can't say for sure and I'd want to ask my dad but I think it's his subconscious trying to remove the object of his increasingly fragile mind state."

"If it was removed?" She asked, her hands clasp on the desk in front of her.

Ino shook her head, "I don't know what would happen. He could return to a healthy mental circle but that wouldn't change his general outlook. He'd still see everyone as he does now but..." She said, looking doubtfully at the Hokage.

"Go ahead." She prompted.

"Well...generally unhealthy cycles are reinforced even after a type-change event." For once Shikamaru had to ask her to explain.

"The mind seeks equilibrium in all things, if you pretend to like something for long enough you actually will like it. Doesn't matter what it is. Sasuke is only able to be the way he is because he's grown too used to it. If you tried to be him for a day you wouldn't enjoy it but if you continued for long enough your mind would eventually justify it and you would, for all intents and purposes, become what you perceived him to be like."

She took a seat in front of the Hokage's desk. "So if a type-change event were to occur, killing Itachi I mean...he'd either have to fool his mind into a different way of thinking or find something else to become the overriding goal of his life. That doesn't sound too bad as I say it, I know...but he'd pursue the goal in the same way he has been after this one. At all costs with no moral compunction or ties to anyone."

Tsunade fixed Shikamaru with a wry grin, "Sound like anyone we know?"

Shikamaru said nothing but the third Hokage's words echoed in his mind. _'Ambition without morals is a horrible thing to witness.' _

The Hokage stood and thanked Ino, "I would like a written report with exactly those facts and anything else you can think of in it. I need to talk to Shikamaru, send in Kakashi on your way out." Ino bowed, deeply and left.

Kakashi entered the room and though Shikamaru expected him to be angry the copy-cat ninja showed no outward sign of it.

"I read all your reports regarding the Uchiha's development, Kakashi." She said, gesturing at another pile on her desk. "In none of them do you make mention of any morality issues." Gone were the soft porn books and amiable exterior. Standing in front of the Hokage was a jonin and one not within the good graces of a superior.

"I didn't notice it...at first, Hokage-sama. I thought that maybe he was just hit harder with puberty than most people." He stood rigidly, nothing moving but his mouth behind the mask. "During the escort mission I thought he had turned a corner, he actually saved Naruto's life at the expense of what he believed was his own." His eyes went distant for a moment and he continued on, "It wasn't until he was remanded to isolation that he reverted back."

There was an obvious struggle under the surface but in the end the truth won out and he continued speaking, "The similarities were too many to be ignored and I didn't want your past with Orochimaru coloring how I taught my genin. When he reverted back, I omitted my observations, hoping that Naruto's presence would be enough to repair any damage that had been done to his training while being kept from Orochimaru."

Instead of getting angry Tsunade just shook her head, "Now, instead of a head start on the problem, we have one of your genin attacking fellow shinobi within the village walls. A knife in the back doesn't have to be particularly sharp, Kakashi."

Kakashi said nothing and made no outward gestures. "This problem has come to a head and the three of us are going to come up with a solution." She cupper her face in both hands and blew out a large breath. "He's done nothing that is beyond redemption but your reports from now on _will _be accurate and he will be placed in a genjutsu until he can either convince a Yamanaka of his improved mental and moral stability or he's relieved of his ability to utilize chakra."

Kakashi shuddered visibly, "He's activated his sharingan, that would blind him."

Tsunade spread her hands in a sympathetic gesture, "Better a blind friend than an enemy on the chopping block, one that we trained." She stood, signaling the end of their discussion. "I expect some good ideas over the next week. Sasuke goes into a holding cell until Kurenai has a chance to see him." Both the jonin bowed and left quickly. There were stormclouds gathering on Tsunade's face and neither wanted to be present when they burst.

As he was walking down the hallway he felt Kakashi's hand on his shoulder. _This is it, where he'll show his anger. _Shikamaru turned to face the taller man but instead of the disgust and anger he had been expecting to read in the mans eyes he saw only a faint sadness. "I'm sorry, Shikamaru-san. I never thought he would try something like that. The fault lies with me though, and not my genin. Tsunade was right, if I had come forward we could have worked on the problem proactively instead of reacting when he made an attempt on your life." Then he bowed, deeply and at length to Shikamaru who was growing more and more embarrassed as the two chunin at the other end of the hall marveled at them.

"Please, there's no need for that. I think we're even. I'm not too pleased with bringing all that up in front of the Hokage without a chance to talk to you about it first. I didn't know that the problem went that deep, I thought Ino would just find out he had a crush on me or something."

Kakashi straightened and looked at Shikamaru quizzically, "That would mean..." He started but then blushed.

"No no, she didn't say anything about that, I was just assuming. Anyways, apologies are troublesome. Lets just try to fix the problem."

Kakashi grinned at him until his eyes disappeared and nodded. "Yep."

* * *

Shikamaru sat at his parent's breakfast table and lamented his decision to come down the stairs in the first place. His mother, a chunin though not on active duty, was now technically his subordinate. Something that his father had thought would be a good laugh to mention while she was telling him to clean his room.

"I don't care if you're the Hokage now, you're going to get your dirty clothes together and clean that pig-sty." She said, waving a spoon under his nose (her weapon of choice).

"I didn't even say anything, he's just trying to get me in trouble." He said, pointing at his grinning father. His father rolled his eyes. Shikamaru studied his father for a moment. "If you want to see her fly off the handle so much, dad you should tell her what you think of her dancing." He'd been saving this particular information for a while but was not loathe to be parted with it. He wasn't going to suffer alone.

His mother, who had at this point been facing away from them and muttering angrily while still washing dishes, froze. Her frame went rigid and his dad gave him a killing gesture, dragging his thumb across his throat.

"What exactly did you say about my dancing, oh husband mine?" She said, her voice too sweet to be anything but evil in hiding.

"He said you shuffled around like you were walking on a donkey's legs." Shikaku's eyes went wide in shock.

His father mouthed to him without speaking aloud, _'Not funny.' _He saw his mother stiffen, a particularly large knife in her hands.

"A donkey?" She said, turning slowly around.

"Time to go." His father said, his hands forming the seals.

"Don't you kwarmi, mister!" But it was too late, there was a small pop and a puff of smoke and a log was sitting at the table with Shikamaru.

His mother flew to the window, "Get back here!" She threw the knife out the window with a screech. Shikamaru heard it tear through the air and there was a grunt when it found it's mark. "Ha!" She crowed. "Jonin schmonin..." She said, muttering to herself. Raising her voice she yelled back out of the window, "...and that wasn't even a kunai!" She dusted her hands off and strutted back to the sink.

She seemed to remember that her son was still in the room and turned to eyeball him. "Your father is on his way to the hospital. Go check on him."

"You're the one that threw it." He said, annoyed with the situation.

"I have four more." She said, setting another of the kitchen knives onto the counter and giving him a pointed look.

Shikamaru sighed, "I'll just go check on him." He pushed away from the table and stood.

* * *

Shikamaru exhaled noisily as he watched a medic-nin examine his father. "What did you say you were doing, Shikaku-sama?"

"Whittling." He said offhandedly.

The medic gave him a dry look and Shikaku sighed, "I'm just making sure I didn't accidentally poison myself. If I'm not going to die, I've got things to do."

The Nara clan was highly respected at the hospital and rather than ask questions that might result in a reprimand he only nodded. "There is no poison, Shikaku-sama."

"Few stitches and a good poultice then." His father glanced at him and Shikamaru rolled his eyes. He took a small wrapping from his pouch and handed it to his father.

"You're supposed to keep that sort of stuff on you."

His father nodded at him, "I do, I just didn't want to stop by the house to get more." The younger Nara sighed as he watched his father place the poultice on the cut. _It's not like I want to go back there either. _

"I didn't think she'd go for the knife, sorry." He said, feeling a little guilty.

Shikaku grinned at his son, "If she'd really been mad she would have put a tag on it and sent more than one my way. Once you get married you'll develop a few games of your own. "

"They wont involve edged weapons." He said, grumbling.

"They will if you're lucky." Shikaku ignored his son as the younger Nara rolled his eyes. "I've been meaning to talk to you alone for a bit. Generally the clan teaches jutsus in a progressive manner. Academy students to genin, chunin etcetera. As you've completely ignored the traditional rank progression there are two levels of jutsus that I need to teach you at once."

He examined the cut on his thigh. "I think she was flirting." Shikamaru made a face and his father laughed.

* * *

Shikamaru followed his father, walking through Konoha and it's outskirts. When the elder Nara finally stopped them they stood outside training area twelve, a rocky expanse of simulated desert.

"As a chunin one of the things you _would _have been taught was that darkness is the natural state of the universe. It can be found everywhere. We can exist because of light and warmth but that is an exception, not the rule. The discipline involved with manipulating shadows has always been more of a mental exercise than a physical one." He walked to a larger rock and sat down on it, gesturing at a the sunbathed area.

"Shadows also have no mass, we can only perceive them in two dimensions but they exist in three, well four if you think that space and time are separate." He said, waving off the idea as not worth explaining.

Shikamaru stiffened as he felt the heavy weight of a Kagemane settle over him. His father glanced down at their feet, letting Shikamaru look but there was no shadow-line indicating how he had done it. As soon as it came, it released again and his father stared at him intently.

"How did I do that?" Shikaku asked, taking a bit of dried meat from his thigh pouch and chewing on it half-heartedly.

Shikamaru stared at his father and turned his full attention to the conversation. "I...don't know." He said, sounding surprised.

"I'll wait." His father said, still chewing uninterestedly on the bit of meat.

* * *

"Oh come on...it didn't even take your uncle this long." Shikaku said, alternating between capturing him with his untraceable Kagemane and looking bored.

His father reached down, still holding his son with a shadow bind, and scooped up a handful of sand. "Alright, Shika. I'll give you another hint." He said as he let the sand slip out of their hands. "What makes sand, sand?"

Shikamaru grumbled. It was rare that something garnered his complete attention. His mind battered at the impossible wall of the question, _Sand is sand because...it's small loose grains of disintegrated rock. It's chemical composition doesn't change from when it was part of a rock...it was a physical change. _Not feeling any particular reason to continue that train of thought he moved on. _It's primarily silica...here it's mostly quartz. Cold route. _

Despite the dead-ends he continued on, more intrigued now than frustrated. _Sand is basically just rocks, smaller. It will always be sand until it's rock again. A no-shadow Kagemane, there's no such thing. There has to be shadow. I felt it, it was no different than any other. No mass...there's no mass. _He gave himself the mental equivalent of a glare. _Oh, do shut up. _He rubbed his temple, feeling a headache coming on._ The shadow is there. _Why couldn't he see it? _My inability to see it doesn't mean it's not there. Skip it, next clue. A shadow is two dimensional as we see it... width, height but no perceivable depth. I see the problem. Why can't I see the answer?_

The Kagemane released and he sank back down into the Eternity Pose, his hands in front of him.

His father stalked around him, looking grim. "You're a jonin now, Shikamaru." He said, pushing against his sons shoulder, knocking him onto his back. "Do you think that everyone is going to wait for you to figure things out?" He asked, immediately following up his push with a swift kick.

"Get up." He said, simply. Shikaku smiled at his son but his face was lacking any mirth.

_A little shorter this time, I was having trouble on how to end this. Sorry about the long update on this one. Been too busy lately to pump it all out in a day or two. I'm still kicking though._

_As always, reviews, critiques and anything else are always welcome._

_Anbu-Dave_


	7. Chapter 7: Mission in a bottle

Kagemane Complete

Chapter 7: Mission in a bottle

Neji sat alone outside Asuma's home. Aside from the Hyuga compound, which he had been banned from, it was the most peaceful place he could find. The gentle and consistent *thunk* of a bamboo rocking fountain was like a cool hand on a fevered brow. The inner calm that the Hyuga clan cultivated from an early age had evaded him for the better part of a week now.

_'If you have something that you believe that makes you a better person, regardless of it's veracity, believe in it.' _The only flaw with that was that he couldn't decide if it made him a better person to believe in an unavoidable fate. It certainly didn't make him happy but the alternative was to believe in something that he could never attain.

He would always be a slave to the main house. If he ever showed independence or disrespect the curse seal would make short work of him. No matter how he trained, how good he became, even the lowliest member of the main house could kill him on a whim. He realized he was clenching his fists and forced himself to relax again.

If it wasn't fate then what was it? A cruel happenstance? That the same 'chance' had killed his father as well was a strain on the credibility of that theory.

He heard someone sit down next to him but chose to ignore it for the time being. He'd made little enough progress as it was without letting every tiny thing distract him.

What it came down to was the same answer but from differing viewpoints and he couldn't understand by Shikamaru had brought it up if it amounted to the same thing.

_Either I am chained to this path by fate or I am chained to it by chance. _If it meant peace of mind to believe in a completely random universe then he'd gladly embrace it after a week of inner searching. His eyes opened and he looked over to see the source of his current irritation.

Shikamaru was laying on his back, observing the clouds. He yawned as he saw Neji looking at him and sat up slowly. "I've just had the crap kicked out of me for the fourth day in a row. My father is trying to teach me a new technique and he's been leading by the nose with tiny little hints and stupid exercises. I got to thinking about it and it's almost the exact thing I'm doing to you. Karma is getting a laugh it's at both our expense so I thought we'd talk about your problem."

"I don't have a problem." Neji said, a bit testily.

Shikamaru turned to face him, his eyebrow arched. "Really? I'll remind you that it's a crime to lie to your superiors."

Neji actually looked angry for a moment and then schooled himself with a visible effort. _Wow, he's really frazzled, Shikamaru_ thought, trying not to let his surprise show on his face. It wouldn't do to instigate a fight with the strongest ninja of their generation.

"I see the problem with my philosophy but I also see that either way is the same result. I'm either bound by fate or bound by chance." Shikamaru shook his head at the older shinobi.

"You're so close...two little vowels and you've figured it out. You're bound by choice, Neji. Not chance. Some things are beyond our control. If the Hokage walked in right now and killed us, well that's just too damn bad. If you made a decision that provoked her to it...that's different."

"I can't choose to not bear a curse mark." He said, looking away from Shikamaru.

"You can choose to work beyond it or around it." Shikamaru countered, looking accusatory. "Look, Neji. You may be the most skilled ninja of our generation but you can't be that smart if you didn't learn at least that much from being teamed up with Lee. So you're starting with a mark against you, literally in this case." He poked Neji in the forehead protector, eliciting a dark glare.

"Just because life didn't hand you everything on a silver plate doesn't mean you should abdicate your free will. You _chose _to train as hard as you have and you _chose _to teach yourself some of the most advanced techniques of your clan's bloodline. If being bitter is all that's driving you, I'm pretty surprised you got this far."

Neji stared into the distance and Shikamaru was beginning to wonder if the Hyuga was tuning him out like he did with Ino sometimes.

"Anyways, I just wanted you to see what I was driving at. You've got my opinion in the matter but, like I said, the choice is yours. It always has been." He went to stand but Neji's hand shot out and settled on his shoulder, holding him down.

"Thank you, Nara-san." He said, dipping his head even though they were both seated.

Shikamaru waved him off, "Just Shikamaru. I'm not going to be a jonin much longer. You'll be in charge and I'm not dumb enough to keep on with the Neji-chan stuff. I'm not calling you sama or san either, though. It's too troublesome."

Neji shook his head, "If we find that I am a better leader at some point, I will take control of the team but it will be because you've failed, not because I've given you an excuse to not try." The Byakugan user fixed him with a steely eye.

Shikamaru sighed. _So much for that plan. _Still...it was good to know that he wasn't going to die from a juken strike.

They sat in a comfortable silence, Shikamaru laying back down to stare at the clouds again.

"How would you stop the clan from curse-sealing any other branch members?" He asked, looking back down the porch steps.

Shikamaru thought about this a moment. "I'm not sure. My first answer is to play the bureaucracy game. Pass a law forbidding them from doing it...but that would be a little difficult to pass as the Hyuga main branch is a loud voice in the council. It doesn't help those that have already been sealed either." He tapped his finger against his lips. "That sanin is pretty good with seals, I hear. Maybe we should have him take a look at it."

Shikamaru shook himself out of the thought process. "Give me some time to think about it, I'll have some ideas soon." _Not only do I have to think of a way to rehabilitate a potentially insane sharingan user, I also have to figure out how to shift an entire clan's way of thinking and find a way to reverse a curse seal that's been in use since before my grandfather was born._

Shikamaru sighed. _I had to go and get noticed. _He wondered if it wasn't too late to screw something up and fool them into thinking he had just gotten lucky.

He stood back up and gave Neji a half-hearted wave. "I gotta get to the academy, I'll catch you later."

Neji said nothing, his eyes closing again as he started to meditate.

As Shikamaru exited the Sarutobi compound he was brought up short by a delicate cough. Turning around quickly he saw Hinata, standing at the edge of a pruned shrub, looking small. "Hey Hinata. Something I can help with?" He asked and watched her shrink in on herself. _Quiet, pretty, just that whole clan heir thing would be a problem. State dinners all the time. _She took a moment to gather her courage and spoke haltingly.

"I was...hoping I could t-talk to you about something." She said, staring at her feet.

"Yeah sure. Can you walk and talk? I'm late for my class."

* * *

He walked to the Hokage's tower, the memory of his classroom's near-revolt fresh in his mind.

_Shikamaru turned around from the chalkboard and stared at the students of his class. They'd been...odd lately. He looked at Konohamaru who, despite being the largest pain of the bunch (or maybe because) was the unofficial leader of the class. _

_He knew that news of the Hokage's intervention had labeled him as a tattle among the students of the academy, even though he'd nothing to do with it. The Hokage's intervention had also caused the pranks to stop so he hadn't seen any real point in refuting it._

_"What?" He asked boy. _

_Konohamaru scratched his nose with the back of his hand and pointed at Shikamaru. "You're a big coward. We thought you were just saving up, waiting for the perfect time to get her good but you weren't...you're just a big loser and I don't have to learn from losers. Naruto would have won in a prank war." _

_There was a smattering of general, grumbling agreement from the other students and Shikamaru sighed. "This is getting to be a drag." He said, half to himself._

He waved at the chunin from the far end of the hall and they were holding the door for him as he neared. The Hokage, with Shizune back in tow, was in the middle of complaining about something.

"...never get ahead in all this." She said, shaking papers at her assistant.

"Even the Third had to delegate some of this, Tsunade-sama." Shizune said, looking at the ever-present stacks of papers.

Tsunade snorted, "If you think he didn't read every scrap of scroll that came across his desk you're a complete nit."

Shizune inhaled deeply, her face turning pink. Shikamaru coughed, politely he thought, to save them the embarrassment of fighting in front of him.

"What do you want?" Tsunade said, her ire now focused on him.

"Anko to publicly apologize to the academy for her behavior. I'll call an assembly in the eating hall." He said quickly.

"Ok fine. Get out." She said, pointing at the door. Shikamaru didn't bother with pleasantries and escaped as soon as he could.

* * *

He lay a long, burgundy carpet out on the dining hall floor, stretching from a large podium that had been set up for Anko's apology to the door she'd be entering from. The podium and carpet were generally used for the few formal visits that the Hokage conducted each year but they would serve fine for Anko's speech. _I'm sure it will be very heartfelt too. _He thought facetiously.

_Things were a lot easier as a genin. Trick Asuma into thinking that Shogi was a valid training device, do as little as possible..._He lamented his lost youth, gone now only for a few months and while he didn't feel any older he certainly felt more put-upon. _Worse yet...Neji thinks I'm the leader now and while Chouji never had much influence over Ino, if Neji says it, she believes it. _

The tables had been moved and the chairs all set to one side so that they faced the podium. He looked at a wall clock just as the bell rang and children began pouring into the hall. They'd all been told what was happening and he received a few dirty looks from the Konohamaru Corps as they filed in with the rest, sitting themselves down with mutinous looks.

Anko glared murder at him as she passed him in the hallway. Walking stiffly by she marched up the carpet to the collective cheers of her own class. Her face softened and he realized that she still believed she had won, regardless of any trouble she'd gotten into from the Hokage. It didn't really matter to him so long as he regained control of his own class but it was interesting to see the pride on her students faces even as she was being made to apologize.

* * *

Anko bowed theatrically at the gathered students and turned to smirk at the Nara idiot who, of all things, was checking himself out in a mirror. Shaking her head she turned back to the class, determined to give the entire speech that had been written out for her by Shizune with, what Ibiki liked to call, a shit-eating grin.

She adjusted the paper on the podium, taking a deep breath she flashed the gathered students a winning smile and got almost two words into her prepared apology before the Kagemane hit her.

* * *

Shikamaru had decided that subtlety would be lost on the target audience and went for the slightly spectacular. At the end of his puppet-show the podium, that he'd filled with the various items he'd used, was empty and a very bald Anko was wearing a frilly pink dress and skipping about with a bonnet on her head and a basket in her hand, all the while shouting obscenities that sailors shouldn't have been subjected to, let alone children in their formative years.

It was a pity that he wouldn't get to talk to her about it but he shrugged. At least the show was being well received. Very few of the students were still in their seats, rolling on the ground between them in great bouts of laughter.

He was sweating freely as he was nearing the end of the performance. He reached up and pulled a small wire. He watched in the mirror as a large rope fell down next to Anko. Reaching with her hand he pulled on the rope releasing the surprise above her. A single tag, not unlike the exploding ones that all ninja were quite familiar with, drifted down slowly. Exploding tags were plentiful but he'd had to craft this particular one himself. The trap was simple enough but he'd almost detonating the thing three times while he'd been making it. He hadn't trusted anyone else to keep their mouths shut about it and while it would be obvious to anyone present that he had a hand in her current predicament...it would also be impossible to prove. He looked up with her head at the tag and spread her arms wide. He closed her eyes, not wanting to actually harm her.

The room went silent as they all watched the tag descend. To them it looked the same as an ordinary explosive tag. Their show was going to have a grisly finish. Her entire class surged forward, laughter forgotten in the face of a danger to their teacher. _That's rather touching. _He thought, impressed with the relationship she'd developed with her class.

Shikamaru counted down. Just as he was about to reach zero there was a loud raspberry sound from the main room and he saw a few blobs of glue hit the mirror he was watching her through. _The prank that got away, _he thought, remembering the stories he'd heard all around the village about that particular failure.

It was a close approximation to what he'd imagined. From bald head to pink-clad toes, Anko was plastered with glue and feathers. Her students weren't any better off, the tag had completely coated everything within a 3 meter circle around Anko and she looked like a mother goose leading her goslings about.

The cursing had ceased from her and as the students began to roar laughter he saw that her own shoulders were shaking as well. He couldn't quite make out her face but her mouth was open and for the life of him, she looked like she was laughing too. They began pointing at each other, remarking on the prank and laughing harder.

_Time to go. _He said, borrowing the phrase from his father. When women started laughing like that you needed to find a place to hide. He released the Kagemane and felt his shadow snap back to it's natural position. He'd used the rug to not only hide his shadow but also to lengthen the distance, slipping his shadow under the thick tapestry.

_Between the rug and the floor, it works because shadows have no mass..._ He thought and almost gave up his presence by shouting it out loud. _That's what he meant! _From any onlooker it would have seemed as though his Kagemane was invisible. A shadowless jutsu.

_Sand is sand because it's granular and while it is a single mass, it's also naturally porous. He slipped his shadow between the granules! _That's why he'd brought him to the desert training area. It only worked in sand.

* * *

After getting out of sight of the Academy he slowed. Having a revelation was one thing but he was exhausted from the extended Kagemane and running when he didn't have to wasn't exactly in his repertoire even when he was fresh. He slowly made his way back home.

As he entered his family residence he heard a cooing sound followed by soft laughter and a deep voice. _Oh god... _

"I'm in the house!" He shouted, trying to offer his parents some warning.

His mother shouted back to him, "Come eat then."

He stepped cautiously into the kitchen and saw his mother give his father a quick kiss on the cheek. Ignoring what his mind told him was something he didn't want to explore he sat down across from his father and began explaining exactly what the elder Nara had been expecting him to understand four days before.

"Good!" His father grinned at him. "Now forget all that, it's good if you want to get the drop on someone in a crowded area where you can stand still for minutes on end but in a real fight it's about as worthless as tits on a boar."

Instead of clouting him with the spoon as Shikamaru expected his mother giggled and gently slapped his shoulder, "You're so bad." She said, a blush in her cheeks.

Shikaku winked at his wife and turned back to Shikamaru, "Shadows have mass."

Shikamaru gaped at him, "You just spent two days convincing me they don't!" He yelled, exasperated now. He turned back to his father and regained his calm. "I can prove they don't." He said quietly, starting to make the hand seals.

As he did he felt something crawl up his leg and stood in alarm. He tried to stand anyways, the resulting action knocked him onto his rear and sent the chair tumbling away from him. He watched as a shadow climbed up from his foot, watched it ruffled his clothing at it reached his thigh and continued up his hip. It then shot out from his hip and gripped his wrist, pinning it to his side.

"This is the Jonin bit." Shikaku said before releasing the jutsu. "I wont bother asking you how I did that. I didn't even figure it out when grandfather showed it to me." He helped his son to his feet and pushed him ahead out of the kitchen ahead of him.

They only went as far as the clan dojo, a modest building with shutters not only on the windows but the roof as well. By pulling certain ropes the room could be flooded with light or plunged into darkness.

"Alright before we get started you need the basic principle behind it. I talked about shadows being perceived as flat surfaces, two dimensional. No depth to them. We use these to manipulate other people's shadows, reversing the relationship between creation and creator and binding the people to the shadow instead of the other way around. Now...we live in three dimensions and our shadows are two dimensional. If all life existed in two dimensions what would it's shadow be?"

Shikamaru answered quickly, even Naruto would have gotten that one. "If all things exist on a flat plane the shadows they produced wouldn't be seen at all...they'd be impossibly thin lines."

Shikaku smiled at his son, "Which is another way to say?"

"They'd be one dimensional, only length...no width or depth."

"Exactly. Now if two dimensions gets you a one dimensional shadow and three gets you a two...it stands to reason that an object in four dimensions would have a three dimensional shadow, yeah?"

Shikamaru thought about this for a moment and then nodded. Shikaku tapped his temple, "Anything that exists as a three dimensional object has mass. Granted...it's not a lot but with training it can form a solid mass." He walked to the opposite side of the dojo and stood in front of Shikamaru.

"Alright, start a Kagemane and make a circle in the center of the room, as large as your own shadow pool." He waited as Shikamaru did as he was instructed, he was exhausted from his battle with Anko but he was too curious to stop now.

"Instead of tying a person to their shadow, we're going to use the shadow to manipulate the world around us." His hands blurred as he made three seals and his shadow shot outward, tentacles flying in different directions and spearing through training dummies that had been placed around the room. There was a cacaphony of splitting wood as the shadows pierced the dummies and split them apart, neater and faster than any sword could have done.

"The circle is the key for this, for now we're moving it away from you but you'll learn to use your own shadow pool to create the shape."

"I can make a circle with my own shadow." Shikamaru said, testily. He was starting to sweat again.

"Yeah, you're a paragon of Nara talent. Any three year old can do that. I want you to bulge the circle into half a sphere that stands up from the floor." Shikamaru looked at him doubtfully. Bulging was always performed in a lateral manner, never perpendicular.

It took him several minutes to align the shadow the correct way. It was like trying to learn to lift a box from the floor while facing away from it. His mind wasn't used to it. When the center bulged up he looked at it doubtfully. "That's not a mass, I've just bent the same old thing."

"So little faith in your old man, have I steered you wrong yet?" Shikamaru glared at him. "I mean about jutsus." The glare continued, unabated. "Well, never in the dojo at any rate." The clan leader waved off the lack of faith. "Now, fold it into itself from three, equally spaced points. It should look like a flanged mace, except in with planes."

"Just tell me what you're trying to do." He said, the shadow trembling slightly.

"Alright, Shika...we're making an object that only has one side but has a defined shape. This one is called the 'boy'." Shikamaru thought about this for a moment. He'd read about them in his clan's jutsu guides.

"I can make the goblet." He said, not seeing his fathers startled look. He let the sphere fall back to the ground and created a goblet that's handle fed back into itself and created the lip of the cup. As the cup's exterior traveled downward it curved upward and turned back into the handle, only this time it was the 'exterior' of the goblet.

"Ok, one sided object. What's next?" He said, his voice strained. He looked at the goblet as his father was about to speak and stopped him. "Wait."

_It's already there. _That was the difficult part...why hadn't he noticed it before? A shadow was the silhouette projection of a surface that allowed no light to pass through. If he'd made a single surface, enclosed shape...the inside was shadow as well meaning he'd already given it mass. "I just have to..." He said, without finishing. The bottle elongated, growing thinner and thinner until he couldn't see the opening at all, until it grew as fine as a syringe tip. He brought the rigid spike around, still attached to his shadow and threw it against a still standing training log. The elation he'd felt at figuring it out was quickly dashed as the shadow shattered like fine spun glass.

"Well...yeah. You've got the concept. You've still got to strengthen it. That's where chakra comes into play the most." He didn't let the surprise show in his voice. _How'd he take four days on a chunin jutsu and twenty minutes on the jonin? _He was still a long way from applying it in combat but after the principle was taught, it was only a matter of practice. "It's called, 'Shadow Sewing'." He explained proudly.

* * *

He spent the next week alternating between teaching at the academy and trying to strengthen the Kage Nui. His students were surprisingly receptive though somewhat annoyed that he wouldn't just admit that he'd been the one to finally get the better of Anko.

"Plausible deniability, brats. Kunai placement and trap techniques tomorrow, read up on them." The bell rang and he shuffled out after the last student had left. Anko was waiting outside his class as he exited and he eyed her warily. Her head had been left bald for the majority of the week following his display but finally Tsunade had grown it back as she had with Shikamaru. More for her own benefit than Anko's.

"Relax, Nara. I'm all done with that. I set out on a mission and I accomplished it." Shikamaru walked past her and she kept pace next to him, grinning from time to time.

"I don't see how making someone pull a prank on you was a completion of your mission but so long as this whole troublesome mess is over with, whatever." As they entered the teachers lounge he eyed his locker warily. He'd been working on his finer control and used his new technique to open his locker from a safe distance.

"Hey, neat trick but I wasn't lying I'm all done with that. I just wanted to get a rise out of you. If I made you mad enough to go to all that trouble then I figure I won." She placed her hands on the back of her head and Shikamaru wondered if he looked that ridiculous when he did it. Of course, he didn't have breasts either.

"I wasn't mad." He said, looking at her, bored.

"Well, surprised or whatever. I wasn't really caring which emotion I got, so long as it was a strong reaction."

"My class wasn't paying attention to my lessons. I assume you'd already been ordered by the Hokage to stop...so if it had happened, it was a pretty low impact solution, it's not like you could retaliate. Whoever did it just had to make sure they weren't caught. My class started paying attention again so whatever this 'master prankster' pulled did the trick." For once his pride had gotten in front of his brain, if he'd kept his mouth shut, she would have continued believing she had won and would have left him alone.

"You just did it cause your twits weren't listening to you?" She said, her feet stopping and her voice growing soft.

"I didn't _do _anything, Anko." He said, warning flags going up in his head. _The Hokage ordered her, both of us for that matter, to stop with the pranks...it's not like she'll start with that again. _"Anyways, my team has a mission. I've got to get back." He said, over his shoulder.

* * *

Asuma grinned at the three of them, "It's an escort mission. We're providing security for a merchant convoy. Konoha to Kirigakure."

Ino let out a cheer, "I've never been to the Mist village before!"

Neji gave a start when she yelled, "What is the cargo?"

Shikamaru answered before Asuma, "Wool." Asuma nodded.

"Four wagons and a carriage." He continued, "The mission is ranked a C, the primary goal is the preservation of the cargo and the safety of three passengers in the carriage. We're meeting the carriage at six in the morning tomorrow."

He tapped a map on his dinning table and showed them the route he had marked. "We'll wait to see the wagons and carriage before we let 'jonin' Shikamaru give our travel order." Asuma let out a short chuckle when he said _jonin. _"I'm not going to get used to that any time soon."

Shikamaru rolled his eyes. _Eight more months till the next exam. _He said it a few times in his head, trying to remind himself that this wouldn't last forever. _She'll never get me to sign another jonin promotion. _He promised himself. _Average average average._

"Pack for a two week trip, we'll meet up at the southern guardhouse to meet the client at 1130."

* * *

Shikamaru followed Neji out of the house and while his route wasn't exactly on the way to the Hyuga's clan estate that wasn't where Neji was heading either.

"You'll never be able to buy that stuff in time, even if you have the money. You've got maybe an hour before the shops close and thirty minutes tomorrow after they open." Shikamaru said, his hands in his pockets, seeming to speak to himself.

"I will manage." Neji said, his implacable calm firmly in place.

"Just come to the clan armory, you can get what you need and not give yourself an ulcer in the process. At worst it will smell a bit like cedar." He angled the direction of their walk towards his family home and Neji kept pace with him.

"How did you know?" He asked, referring to his banishment from the Hyuga estate.

Shikamaru shrugged, "Hinata asked me not to tell you." He said, not breaking the letter of the promise he'd given her, even as he shattered the spirit of it. He didn't like to meddle in people's personal dealings but if ever there were two people that should rub off on each other it was the painfully shy Hinata and the taciturn Neji and they were already relatives.

"I also talked to Asuma, in that whole big estate he's the only one staying there. He said he'd have a room made up for you tonight. Ino offered as well but I wouldn't wish that on a dog. Worse yet is subjecting you to my mother. Do you cook?" Neji stared right through him, not quite following the conversation.

"I don't know." He said, finally.

"Then you don't cook." Shikamaru provided. "He'll figure out something else so you can earn your keep. Staying at an inn is going to destroy your bank account though."

Together they walked into the Nara armory and took what they needed for the trip. His own bag was already packed. It had been since he'd quite the chunin exam just before entering the forest of death. _Why unpack when you'll just need it again? _He remembered thinking that quite clearly and didn't regret it. He only had to change out the trail rations.

They separated early, Neji heading back to the Sarutobi household and Shikamaru making a long overdue trip to the Akimichi household.

* * *

"How's the training going?" He asked, taking another bite of the homemade pie Chouji's mother had set out for 'the boys.'

"It's ok, Lee has a whole year on me but I finally landed a hit on him the other day. It wasn't much and I wasn't wearing weights but anything is better than how I started. You should see him, Shika. When he opens a celestial gate it's a whole different level, even Guy-sensei has to pay attention when he does it. I can't wait to learn it."

Shikamaru smiled at his friend but the smile slid from his face as he saw something peeking out from around a corner. He pointed at it and looked at Chouji. "That the 'dog of female persuasion'?" Chouji nodded, looking embarassed.

"Had to rename her...well after." He said, still looking embarassed. Shikamaru stood up and walked around the corner. When he saw it he whistled. The log, just a random tree Chouji had picked out that day near the academy was now capped at both ends in iron with studs. The wood itself was a rich, polished brown and on almost every bit of it were carved kanji symbols. He read a few and realized they were names. A flamboyant, if messy, one stood out and he read it, 'Sarutobi, Konohamaru - You rock!' He blinked.

The students he'd saved must have each carved their names and a small message into the log, even a few of the adults they'd escorted as well. "This is..." He started, trying to find a good word for it.

"It was Tenten's dad who did the iron. It was starting to split at the ends." He said, trying to take the attention off of him. Rather than embarrass him further Shikamaru simply nodded.

"That's pretty great, Chouji." He said, patting him on the shoulder. "I have to get going, I've got an early mission tomorrow. When I get back we should hit that barbeque place." The Akimichi grinned at him and nodded.

"Be careful, Shika. Lee says Neji is a loner and you can't really use that in a plan." Shikamaru grunted in agreement and as he opened the door he blinked at a very startled Ino who had just been about to knock when the door disappeared from in front of her hand.

"Ah...hi Shikamaru is..." She said, and then caught sight of Chouji. Pushing Shikamaru to the side she bludgeoned her way into the door and Chouji smiled at her.

"Ohayo, Ino-chan. I heard you have a mission." He said, looking hopefully at the small bento the kunoichi was carrying. Ino nodded, her hair down for once and waved at Shikamaru, leaving no doubt in his mind what she thought of his presence there.

_I probably only beat her here because I didn't have to pack. _He gave a wave that was returned by both of them and walked down the street.

* * *

They met, with much yawning from Shikamaru and Ino, at the appropriate time. The carriage wasn't elaborate but nor was it shabby. _Well made. _Is how he thought of it in his mind. _Very well made. _The four wagons were a quandary though. He had expected the larger trading wagons heaped with fresh sheared wool but these were smaller, produce carts and their beds were only full and no more.

The caravan leader was a scrawny, fidgeting man with a few wisps of white hair still stubbornly clinging to the sides of his pale head. He was dressed in the clothing of a moderately successful merchant, green cotton robes trimmed in gold brodcade.

They introduced themselves though the man only addressed Asuma when he introduced himself as Ujoh Imubaki. "Where are the other two passengers?" Asuma asked, seeing he wasn't going to acknowledge his students.

"They're in the carriage already. They do not wish to be disturbed for the trip." Asuma nodded politely and Shikamaru nudged Neji behind the man's back. He heard a whispered, _'Byuakugan'. _After a moment of scanning the carriage he released his bloodline. Shikamaru looked over at him expectantly but Neji simply shook his head. They were still working on their team cohesion and he'd would have known exactly what Chouji had meant to say with the gesture but Shikamaru thought this to mean, _'Not important enough to interrupt them for, I'll explain later.'_

Shikamaru, as asked, had already formulated the travel order. "We're going to have to make some adjustments to the caravan though." He and Neji completely emptied the last wagon and distributed the wool between the other two. He was intimately glad the wool had been cleaned prior to packing it for transport.

The merchant, not exactly sure what this accomplished, was never-the-less perturbed that a 'child' was calling the shots. Asuma took him to the side and made small talk so Shikamaru could finish.

That done he set one of the wagons in front of the carriage and two behind. The last was empty so it would need minimal attention and it gave them an extra horse should one began to flag for some reason.

"Neji, you and Ino will be riding on the carriage. It's higher than the rest and will give you a central point to scan with your eyes. Asuma and I will be up front.

Ino looked at him, unsure. "What about a rear guard?" She asked, pointing at the last two wagons. Shikamaru shook his head.

"We could buy twice that much wool with what we're being paid for this, I'm not willing to sacrifice line of sight for whatever ruse that 'merchant' has concocted. If someone really wants the wool that badly, they can have it. I'll reimburse him."

He looked at Neji, "Who are they?"

The Hyuga shook his head, "I can't see in detail through wood that thick, I can only tell they aren't shinobi." Shikamaru nodded.

"Whoever he's worried about attacking is not going to be after the wool, ignore it if we're caught in a battle." He opened his mouth to see more but Ino shrieked right in his ear, causing his head to ring.

"Chouji!" She said, pushing through her other team mates and running up to the Akimichi who was carrying several large bundles.

"Hey Ino..." He started, grinning embarrassedly. "...I wanted to see you guys off, it's your first mission as a new team. I brought bentos for everyone." Lee appeared behind their former team mate, also carrying a few of the wrapped packages.

Ino looked a bit crestfallen but she accepted the box that Chouji gave her. Shikamaru grinned at him and received his own. There were no markings on the bentos which meant that Chouji and his mother must have made them. _Which means we're eating like kings for a while. _He thought, pleased.

Lee handed out his own packages to Asuma and Neji. He spent extra time with Neji. _Probably catching him up on his old team. _Ino and Chouji were talking with Asuma and he didn't think they saw when Neji, holding the bento carefully said something quietly and then bowed, deeply to Lee. The Guy-clone waved his hands and Neji waited a moment more before straightening out.

They spent a moment more talking amongst each other until the merchant started grumbling to Asuma. "He's right, lets get moving. We have a schedule to keep."

* * *

Neji inwardly cringed as Ino sighed again. She'd been at it all morning, she'd look at the bento set in the carters box just behind them and sigh. It was infuriating. If she just had something to say, why didn't she say it?

"Is something wrong, Ino-san?" He asked archly.

She turned to him and began speaking all at once. "No, thank you for asking. I thought Chouji was just seeing me off but he brought bentos to everyone and I'm worried that while he still thinks of me as a friend, he's never going to see me as more."

He scanned the area with his Byakugan again and the silence stretched out. Ino looked embarrassed for a minute or two and then quizzical...then finally angry. "So?" She asked, her arms flying open.

"I didn't know a response was desired." He said, hoping they'd get attacked. _I will request a different travel position when we stop for the night. _He thought to himself an immediately knew that he would not. It made the most sense. He was their eyes, he would have to be centrally located, Ino was their greatest weapon but not a strong fighter and thus would need to be placed next to a combat heavy shinobi.

He could see the logic behind placement and he agreed with it...but he certainly wasn't enjoying it.

"I'm not just talking to hear myself talk, what do you think?" She said, exasperated.

"You are worried that he came to see everyone off and not just you?" He said, trying to sum up the problem she was experiencing.

"Yeah." She said, looking embarrassed again.

"I've observed that Chouji-san is very polite." He said, scanning the area again. Still no hope of getting out of the conversation.

"So?" She said, just before she yelled at Shikamaru who had decided instead of sitting in front with Asuma that laying down on the wool and watching clouds in the back was preferable. "We're on a mission, get your ass back up front!"

If it bothered her that she was yelling at a jonin as a genin she didn't show it. "If he had brought a bento just for you...that would be rude." He explained.

"You mean he had to bring everyone food even if he just wanted to bring me some?" Neji shook his head.

"I believe that he wanted to bring everyone a gift." He said as he watched Shikamaru climb back out of the wool with a grumble and sit back down with Asuma-sensei.

"Then what the hell are you talking about?" She almost yelled.

Neji wondered if the occasional power of youth speech wasn't preferable to Ino when she was excited. Instead of answering her he turned and took the two bento out of the carters box and set them both in his lap. "Which one is yours?" He asked, looking at the two. While his was folded perfectly and tied with a knot it was a bento, very little about it was unique. He looked at her own bamboo bento, wrapped in a purple cloth, a color she seemed to favor, and the knot had been tied around a small, white carnation.

She grabbed her bento out of his hands. "This one." She said, looking down at it.

"I am not versed in flower meanings...what is a white carnation supposed to represent?" He asked, not looking at her.

"Well...it can be a few things, I think he meant it to mean 'good luck' but with the purple of the cloth he could also have meant it to mean, 'I think you're moody but good luck'." She sighed again and Neji almost ground his teeth.

He activated his Byakugan and peered inside her bento. "Your favorite foods are cherry tomatoes, some kind of pudding and rice balls."

Her head snapped around, "How would you know?" She asked, growing angry again.

"That's what your bento is packed full of. There's also a letter from him in there. I can read it to you if you like." He said, meeting her gaze.

"Hey! Get your eyes off of my box!" She said, yanking the box away from him and holding it out past her shoulder as if he were going to take it from her. Asuma turned around quickly, looking startled and Shikamaru, who'd been leaning back as far as possible in the carter's seat bent his head back to look at them, upside down.

Neji released his Byakugan after he scanned the area again. Asuma and Shikamaru turned back to the front, Asuma shaking his head. Ino, in the meantime was tearing open the bento in an effort to get to her letter, already forgetting about Neji.

* * *

They camped that night in an aspen grove, circling the wagons around the carriage. The merchant, set up a series of sheets around the door to the carriage, affording their charges with privacy and hiding them from view.

Shikamaru didn't see the point behind it but of course, Ujoh either didn't notice they had a Hyuga with them or didn't know about their abilities. During the course of just dinner, Shikamaru saw him activate his Byakugan every four minutes. He probably knew, intimately what their charges looked like and made a note in his mind to ask him tomorrow when the could disguise their voices with the jingling tack of the wagons.

The Nara poked their fire and chewed on a bit of dried beef that Chouji had packed. He was full but it was hard to stop eating an Akimichi's cooking. Ino was reading something, alternating between giggling and holding the paper to her chest before returning to it. _Unless there's a book on those two pages, she must have read that at least twenty times by now. _

Asuma, seeing the letter turned to her, "Did you get one from Chouji too?" He said and Ino froze. Not noticing Asuma continued. "I miss him." Everyone except Ino turned to Neji as they heard a loud smack from his direction. He was holding his forehead in his hand and shaking his head. Asuma turned to Shikamaru, "He packed all my favorite foods too. I don't know how he remembered I like soba, we only went to that restaurant once."

Ino made a strangled sound and stood up, walking off into the darkness. Asuma watched her go and turned back to his other two students, "What's with her?" He asked, lighting another cigarette.

Neji spoke up quickly, "It seems important, sensei...maybe you should ride with her tomorrow to find out."

Asuma nodded, "Yeah, that's not a bad idea. We want everyone at their full potential." Shikamaru suppressed the urge to smile but gave Neji a pointed look. The Hyuga went back to eating, ignoring Shikamaru.

* * *

Tsunade grumbled as she stamped another of the endless papers that crossed her desk. She approved the tax break for the merchants guild but only because they'd been cooperative in helping restoration efforts after the invasion. It would only last a year or as long as it took for them to recoup their financial losses but she hated signing away that much money. _Maybe I can gouge the bankers a bit, the cowards were pulling money out of the village an hour after the invasion started._

She heard something land at her window and she turned, unconcerned. There, framed in the open window, was Jiraiya. He winked at her and she rolled her eyes. "I'm working." Her voice was tart but she was inwardly glad to see him. She would have been glad to see even Orochimaru at that point, anything for a break from the wretched paperwork being Hokage involved.

"Akatsuki is on the move again." He said, his grin falling.

Tsunade set aside the paperwork and stood up, crossing her arms. "You're taking him away aren't you?" She asked, her fingers rubbing her grandfather's crystal pendant.

Jiraiya only nodded and Tsunade spoke what he was already thinking. "He'll be safer on the move. You're the most familiar with their abilities and tactics."

"You know he wants to be Hokage?" Jiraiya said, watching her fiddle with the amulet.

She nodded and chuckled darkly, "Tell him it's a pretty lame dream." She turned to look back at her desk. "When are you leaving?"

Jiraiya stepped into the room properly and sat down on one of the chairs. "I talked to him about it, he wanted to wait to say goodbye to a few people. I'm glad he's made so many friends. Hiruzen-sensei was worried that we'd sabotaged his personal life with the mandate."

Tsunade shook her head, "You two didn't do him any favors, that's for sure."

Jiraiya didn't look at her as he spoke, a sure sign that he was conflicted. "It was the best decision in a bad situation."

"If you say so." She said, sniffing.

"I do say so, it's not like you were there to help us, Tsunade. You were too busy feeling sorry for yourself." He said, angry at her tone.

Tsunade rounded on him, "What would you know about it?"

"Nothing you haven't told yourself already." He said, standing up, tired of the argument already. "How's that hemophobia problem coming along? If the council finds out the fifth Hokage is..." She slammed her fist through her desk, knocking it in two and sending the pieces in opposite directions to crash into the far walls.

"Get out!" She screamed, pointing at the window. Her two chunin guards burst through the door but were stopped as she shook her head. They closed the door again, looking guardedly at Jiraiya.

His face livid he leapt to the window. As he gripped the sill to leverage himself out of the window the anger left him in a rush. He paused in the window, looking over his shoulder, "I'm sorry...I didn't mean that. I just wanted to say goodbye."

Tsunade's shoulders slumped, the anger running out of her. "Take care of yourself, Jiraiya."

He nodded, though she didn't see it, and left.

* * *

_Little short on this chapter. I made the mistake of letting my wife read these and she's been standing over my shoulder, "Is it done now?" "How bout now?"_

_I've also been thinking about a time-skip, not as large as the shippuden but still substantial (6 months or so). Let me know what you think. I'll abdicate my Anko-like powers and go with a vote, can reply in review or PM with your opinion. Another thing to watch out for: I'm going to be beta testing a few chapters, if you see a marked improvement on my grammar (I repeat phrases sometimes) or general structure, feel free to slap me with a review or a PM.  
_

_Next chapter(either way) has been dipped in Jacki Chan and deep fried in Spielberg._

_Dave  
_

_P.S.-If you're interested in the 'goblet' Shika creates, google 'The Klein Bottle'. For once I wasn't pulling stuff out of my rear.  
_


	8. Chapter 8: Decisions decisions

Kagemane Complete

Chapter 8: Decisions decisions...

* * *

Neji yelled, stabbing his chunin tanto through the roof of the carriage, "There's someone else inside!" Shikamaru watched as the Hyuga pulled the blade back out, it was dripping with clear water. _A clone? _

"He...turned into a liquid." Neji said, flicking the blade to rid it of water he sheathed it again. The Hyuga genius leapt off of the carriage, flipping in mid-flight and threw a brace of shuriken into the swirling waters of the river. His eyes saw the chakra flow, spread out in the water where they could only see the mild current of the river.

They had been fording at a low point in the stream. It was only about fifty meters wide and ankle deep. The entire riverbed was made of large slabs of granite that had worn smooth over the years. It was the perfect place to cross. _Yes, quite perfect you dolt. So perfect they knew you were going to cross here and only had to wait. _

"Ino, check on those two." He said, gesturing to the carriage she was still sitting on. Asuma was already moving, putting himself between where Neji was still attacking and the carriage itself. He watched as the Hyuga was knocked through the air by a tentacle of water, flipping end over end until he struck the water again with a great spray.

Before Neji could stand up a giant wave swelled downstream of the wagons where the tentacle had risen out of the water and surged towards them. He saw Asuma draw his trench knives, their edges glowing blue when he infused them with chakra. In three huge strides he was in front of Neji who was still collecting himself. As the wave reached him he yelled out, "Flying Swallow!" He slashed the air in front of him and there was a great whooshing sound. The chakra glow in his weapons extended out in great sweeping arcs, colliding with the water. The wave split down the center, the wind cutting a giant V in it.

The wave passed to either side of the carriage, grabbing both cotton wagons and dragging them downstream. _My damn pack was in that. _Shikamaru heard them crash into rocks as they were carried around a bend. He looked back upstream and expected to see another wave bearing down on them. What he saw was two giant slabs of the granite they'd been traveling on rise up, channeling all the water towards them in a two meter wall.

"Ino!" He yelled, but she was already moving to the far side of the carriage even as he opened the door nearest the water wall. Inside, though he'd heard Neji describe them, he saw for the first time the people they had been transporting. The only thing his eyes could see in the rush of battle was that they were both wearing long kimonos that would trip them up in the river.

_Chouji could have carried one. _He thought, offhandedly. _Time to get slapped. _He grabbed the closest woman by the ankles and yanked her off her seat, she squawked as her bottom hit the floor of the carriage but Shikamaru was already at work with his kunai, he hacked the material up the center and then made two small cuts just at her knees then yanked as hard as he could. He heard Asuma grab the merchant who was babbling something he couldn't hear over the rush of the coming water. The material, expensive silk, resisted for a moment and then ripped completely free. The woman, regained enough of her wits to start hitting Shikamaru about the head with a bony fist.

"Hey..." Thump thump. "Look, we gotta go." He said pointing. Even as she looked past his shoulder he grabbed her wrist and pulled her out of the carriage. He felt a pop as he yanked her and she whimpered in pain but kept moving. Half dragging an arm with some sort of injury to it he pulled whoever he was escorting until they finally were clear of the wall of water. Ino and her own charge were already almost to shore with Asuma. Neji was at his side, his Byakugan scanning in all directions at once.

The water hit the wagon and carried both it and the two horses pulling it around the same bend. Shikamaru wished he'd had enough time to cut the two free.

He had little time to lament the fate of the horses as a bulge appeared in the water in front of him, cutting of their escape to shore.

Neji threw a kunai into gathering form with an explosive tag wrapped around the hiltt. The explosion was muffled but the results were what he was hoping for as the shinobi's chakra was scattered all over the area. He could see it slowly reconstituting itself. "He will attack again, soon."

Shikamaru huffed and turned around to look at the woman in his hand. She was old enough to be his grandmother and her face was as pale as chalk. He released the injured arm and took up the other. Resting it over his shoulders he all but carried her the last few meters to the waters edge. Ino pointed behind him as their feet touched dry ground at last. "Look out!"

As he turned he saw Neji blur into a half circle of blue light, the two bolts of water that struck it were scattered into a fine mist, The Hyuga stopped, panting slightly.

Asuma called out to them from higher on the banks, "Get away from the water, he's too strong there!"

The trail they had been following had led them into a small pass of sorts, a large cliff loomed over the north side of the trail and a dense thicket on the south. Even as he finished speaking they all felt a rumble in the earth and looked up to see a rock slide falling to crush them.

That spin move would save Neji but the rest of them would be cut to pieces if they were within it's range and would be crushed if they weren't. His eyes locked on the first thing he saw.

"The tree!" Shikamaru said, pointing at a tree that leaned over the small trail, it was high enough that no carter had bothered to cut it down but the angle was wrong. Asuma threw one of his glowing trench knives, flipping it sideways so that it would cut a wider swath of the tree. Neji jumped as the tree fell over with a cracking woosh.

Raising his hands over his head Asuma caught the tree trunk as it fell, his face turning red and his feet sinking into the already hard-packed earth of the trail. Neji landed lightly on top of the tree and immediately began spinning again. Shikamaru and Ino grabbed the three clients and shoved them under the glowing semi-sphere.

Dust, in thick clouds, rained down on them. He had hoped that the tree would just protect them from the boulders, Neji had saved them by taking that plan a step further. _Think! It's the one damn thing you're good for._

_At least two...if it was one they'd have combined the two elements. One invulnerable to physical damage, water heavy jutsus, second is a possible earth user. _The avalanche of rock stopped, only a few pebbles and silt raining down on them. Neji jumped off of the tree and Asuma tossed it to the side. Shikamaru could see that the Hyuga was visibly flagging now. _Maybe one more use out of that technique. _

He heard three quick clangs and spun to see Asuma fending off two shinobis. They wore matching _outfits or uniforms? _of grey and female figure had two straight swords with no cross guards. The male, a bit farther off, was peppering Asuma with senbon and shuriken. Alone they wouldn't have stood a chance with Asuma, together they worked in perfect harmony. Any time Asuma would get close to striking out at the female the male would force him to deflect or dodge a handful of missiles.

_That's the Sword and the Spear. A-rank missing nin together, B-rank apart. They don't use ninjutsu though..._ He thought, just as Ino crashed into his side. He rolled to his feet and saw the water wielder advancing on them from the river, he was still in liquid form but was solidifying right before his eyes. To his right he heard a crash and felt the impact in his feet. There, picking itself up off the ground, was a large clump of turned to face them and he realized it was either some sort of armor the earth wielder was using or construct made of earth. Either way, a shadow bind would only backfire on him. If it could move around arms the size of boulders he wasn't going to affect it with his own pitiful attempts.

_That's four on four now. _He sighed inwardly. _Shadow bind would work on the water user...not the earth, Shadow Sewing ineffective on both. Can't send Ino to either one even if I did capture them...possibility to great that they're both clones. _He dodged to the side as a bolt of water raced towards him.

_Three part ambush...would have been more effective for them to hit us all at the same time. _He coughed from the dust in the air. _Why wait? _He looked at the waterbolt that had turned up a small divot of earth behind him. It had probably been around ten liters but already the ground was sucking it up greedily.

_There's too many unknown factors...I need time! Wait..._

* * *

Asuma saw, out of the corner of his eye, Shikamaru clutching his temples in what almost looked like pain. He took a kunai from his vest and used it alongside the one trench knife he had left. _He'll think of something, I'm not going to take this away from him._ He spared a glance for the other team members._ The other two are going to tear through Ino and what's left of Neji like tissue paper...if it comes to that I'll have to intervene. _He knocked away a sword with a backhand slice. _Come on, Shikamaru...think on the fly. _

He kicked the wrist of the woman, sending one of her swords flying through the air only to have it's trajectory turned by a well placed shuriken. The female, _I think she's The Sword, _flipped backwards and caught the sword in mid-flight as it came back down. _Well that's just impressive. _He thought, bemusedly. Her swords were only steel, albeit excellently forged weapons, but they would split like folded cheese if he honed his trench blade a bit more. _Give it another thirty seconds, _he told himself.

* * *

Neji turned as Shikamaru yelled at him, "Help Asuma!" He yelled. He had already been watching the battle with the two weapon wielding nin and wasn't afraid for Asuma's safety. His Byakugan observed the relative muscle strain of the Sarutobi and he was obviously holding back. He had actually been trying to figure out why their sensei would think that a prolonged battle was preferable to a decisive finish when it occurred to him, _he's teaching us. _He saw the quick glance that Asuma spared for Shikamaru. _Rather he's teaching Nara-san. _

Neji, realizing this, bounded towards Asuma. He decided that while he was hardly helping the jonin, his strengths would be better applied to the melee fighter and took the female.

* * *

Tumo's vision wavered, it was the unfortunate side effect of his waterform jutsu. _Not much of a side effect if it makes me invincible! _He thought, grinning. They'd been tracking the Leaf Shinobi since they'd left Fire Country and it had been him that had chosen the ambush sight. None had seen that they had a Hyuga with them, a pretty gross oversight considering their original ambush plan.

He was to wait, at the crossing in the river, and slide into the carriage to kill it's two inhabitants and leave again with no one the wiser. If his Waterform hadn't been active just to infiltrate the carriage he would be dead. _Kami damn that Luz for not paying more attention! _The Hyuga blade had gone right through his head.

This was a do or die mission, no one had sent them. They were members of the former Mizukage's, _the real Mizukage, _Internal Discipline Squad. Responsible for moral and religious discipline within Kirigakure.

Yagura, _Kami's blessed,_ had tasked them with the purity of Kirigakure, giving them the authority to weed out any Kekkei Genkai that had infiltrated their beloved homeland. Even though he was gone, they still carried on his noble work.

_All should be equal in effort. _Was their creed, meaning that none should be born better, they should only be able to make themselves better through hard work. The current Mizukage, the imposter, had cheated her way to the position by using not just one but two blood limits. _Priveledged bitch!_

Now, Kirigakure wanted to form an alliance with the Kamizuru clan of Iwagakure. _Insects that they are! _The new Mizukage was trying to bring in all forms of Kekkei Genkai in order to _'Regain the strength of our former glory.', _which was a load of cow patties. Strength at cost of principle was no strength at all. It was a compromise and anyone of honored descent knew that compromise was the tool of the morally limpid.

Kirigakure was to be an example for all shinobi nations. A paramount of achievement by men and women of equal birth but exceptional effort. THE nation of all nations.

The one blood limit they'd encountered during their self-imposed mission was exhausted. The other three, honorable as they fought, were still fighting for a flawed cause and would either be killed for following a false creed, or reinstructed after they were captured. It mattered little to him.

* * *

Asuma heard Shikamaru yell at Ino, "We need to take them out of here!"

He inhaled deeply, disappointed at his students inability to perform under pressure. He watched as Shikamaru and Ino dragged the two women out of the clearing, heading east. The merchant followed, yelling loudly. _Just as Jiraiya-sama said. _

While he was more than a match for the two shinobi that were attacking him, they were still proficient now that he'd allowed them to get into their comfort zone. He was forced to wait for an opening.

* * *

Shikamaru shrugged off Ino's mind swap jutsu and limped along, grumbling in what he hoped was a female manner. It wasn't long before the water Shinobi caught up to him looking..._fervent_...was the only word that fit. He yelled, in the elder woman's voice, "She's up ahead...leave me alone!" _Come on you twit, I'm just trying to save my own skin. _He thought, his body tensing in case the ruse actually worked.

The unknown shinobi gripped Shikamaru's 'kimono', his arm shadow melding with the Nara's own pool. The ninja stiffened as the Kagemane was completed.

"It's always nice when you can get people to actually finish the shadow themselves." The look of surprise that came over the face of the shinobi was somewhat diluted in his waterform but Shikamaru enjoyed it regardless. "If you survive this, research the Nara clan." He said, turning them both to the west again and running back into the fray.

* * *

Ino reeled from mind swapping Shikamaru. She'd done it before and every time was worse than the last. He asked for it when he was being too lazy to explain things. _Oh, I have a plan Ino...I'm just too stupid to explain it but I'm just smart enough to make you ridiculously uncomfortable. _She ground her teeth. _Stupid Nara!_

She shoved the remnants of Shikamaru's thoughts aside, focusing on the plan he had thought up. _If that's all it takes to become a jonin I'll be Hokage in a week. _She thought, angry at the situation.

* * *

Shikamaru leapt into the air, taking his victim with him. He turned his head, forcing the other ninja to do the same and watched him collide with the earth construct. _Kami I hope that's the actual shinobi. _

The ninja was all but sucked into the earth beast as he struck it. _At least that worked. _He thought, even as he worried about the results of it. The golem drooped visibly, its arms dragging against the ground. "Now, Ino!"

Ino stepped out from behind a tree, her hands forming the seals. Shikamaru watched her knees crumple as she left her body.

"Neji!" _God I hate fighting. _Was his only thought as he continued his own plan.

Even though Neji wasn't looking at him he pointed at the incapacitated Ino. The Hyuga batted away a strike from the shinobi in front of him and then jumped backwards, disengaging. He landed next to Ino and took up a defensive posture. His face slipped into a scowl and his hands flashed brilliantly as he assumed a traditional juken stance.

* * *

_'Brush knee and wait in the forward!' _He remarked in his mind on the odd things that one remembered during a conflict. He assumed the form, regardless of the memory and waited. If Kami itself entered his circle it would feel the wrath of the Hyuga clan.

The male shinobi threw a shuriken trailing an exploding tag at Ino.

His hand shot out in an arc, glowing blue. He struck the shuriken dead center, splitting it along it's seam and tearing the tag in two.

* * *

Shikamaru watched the construct in front of them develop a distinct strut. _I've warned her about that. _

It was slower now but that was a confirmation of his theory. _They didn't attack separately because they couldn't. They would have been attacking one another. _Parts of the massive arms began dripping off, huge chunks of mud falling away. He thought at first that it was Ino intervening, removing the barrier that surrounded the nin but saw that it was actually the water that was dissolving the form.

_Mixing chakras on accident is enough to disturb almost any jutsu. Mixing materials that weren't meant to be mixed on top of that is what they were hoping to avoid. _He shouted to 'Ino' and she immediately responded, using the nin's enhanced strength to start hurtling boulders at the male nin. Shikamaru took a kunai in his hand, as if readying himself for a melee attack and waited until one of the boulders sailed over his head.

Using his Kagemane he followed the shadow of the boulder until it finally crashed down next to the male nin and then it was just a small jump to the man's shadow. He felt his Kagemane complete and tossed his chunin tanto to his mirrored image. He caught it with the mans hands and brought it up to his throat.

Shikamaru called out in a half shout half drawl. "Stop."

The woman's fight with Asuma ground to a halt, her breathing in deep gusts while Asuma still had a cigarette in the corner of his mouth.

Ino's captured nin was almost completely visible now and she was actively trying to remove the rest of the rapidly drying mud. He had hoped that the mixing of the two would also stymie the water nin, if not preventing a reconstitution of himself, at least slowing it down.

Without asking Neji he couldn't know for sure but he felt confident that the Hyuga would inform him if the nin was coming together again.

"Drop your weapons and...surrender I guess." It's not that he didn't have any time to react, he'd later reflect that he'd had more than enough time to move his Kagemane victim out of the way. It was that her next action completely floored him and he could only stare stupidly. Instead of laying down her weapons she threw one of her swords overhand. He watched it glimmer and streak towards the male half of her team until it buried itself in his chest, the tip exploding out of his back. Her aim was good and his heart was nearly cut in two, killing him almost instantly. He let out a gasp and then Shikamaru felt him sag in the Kagemane.

She raised her last sword and began to throw it at the earth nin only to have Asuma grab her wrist in an iron grip and backhand her with a closed fist. Shikamaru watched her eyes roll back into her head and she collapsed in a heap. He released his Kagemane, useless now and could only stare at the blood soaking into the hard-packed dirt of the trail. The sword she had been throwing clattered to the ground at the earth-nin's feet.

"How much longer, Ino?" He asked, not looking at her captured shinobi.

The voice was his but the words were hers, "A while still, maybe an hour on the outside. He's not very smart and he hasn't figured out how to fight me."

"What about that water guy?" He asked, looking at Neji. "When's he going to come together?"

Neji, the veins at his temples throbbing pointed at a small pool of water that wasn't soaking into the earth beneath it. "He's already brought himself together again, I think he's unconscious. When they collided the earth-nin's chakra struck out at him." Shikamaru nodded.

"Close off that ladies leg tenketsu." He said, pointing at the unconscious nin. Neji walked back to the woman and Shikamaru stared at the earth nin. _How to incapacitate him without incapacitating Ino in the process?_

"When you get the information we need, let me know." Ino waved 'her' hand in a distracted manner. As he was thinking of a way to incapacitate the earth nin Asuma came up with the solution himself. He stood behind the earth nin and as Ino signaled she was leaving the body he brought a glowing trench knife to the man's neck. He needn't have bothered though, Ino's jutsu had taken it's toll and he lurched to the side drunkenly before falling over. While not unconscious, he was the mental equivalent of a vegetable for the moment and would likely stay that way for a few more minutes at least.

"I told the merchant and those two ladies to hide, I didn't see where they went." He was growing more tired by the moment as the adrenaline left his system.

Neji nodded towards Ino's form and spoke, "If you watch her I will find them." Shikamaru sat down next to Ino's body and watched as Asuma trussed up the earth nin in Akimichi forged manacles.

"What about the water guy?" Ino said, finally returning to her body. She was unable to stand but Shikamaru helped her sit up so she could look around.

"Anyone know a frost jutsu?"

* * *

They listened as Ino explained the reason for the attack. The female had come to not long after they made camp only to find herself unable to move more than her head. The earth nin had to be gagged when he finally came around as he was prone to bouts of violent, if colorful, cursing.

"Her name is Shomi and he's Luz. They're part of an Kirigakure hunter-nin squad...they were sent by the Mizukage to..." She stared at the fire, looking at nothing in particular. "That's not quite right. Not the current Mizukage...the 'real' one..."

Asuma spoke up, "Probably Yagura then."

The female nin hissed, "Yagura sama, Fire Nation trash." Asuma appeared to not have heard her.

"That's right...anyways. They are or were in charge of tracking down any kekkei genkai within the hidden Mist village. His thoughts revolve around 'purity' and 'equality' it's hard to separate opinion from fact. The people we're escorting are an envoy from Iwagakure's Kamizuru clan...the bee specialists."

Shikamaru looked at the two women, the elder with her arm now in a sling (he'd dislocated her elbow) and the younger looking slightly rebellious but neither refuted the claim.

"The current Mizukage..." Ino began and the female spat something that Shikamaru didn't quite understand.

Asuma turned to the woman and smiled politely, "If you interrupt my students again I'll gag you with the underwear I fought in today." He gestured at a small clothes line that he'd erected where his shorts, wet from both the river and the battle, were hung to dry.

Ino blanched at the thought but soldiered on, "...she's got a kekkei genkai. He seems to think she has two even and she's trying to bring more into Kirigakure to strengthen their military. These guys thought they'd stop it in route, they'd done it to two other caravans."

"Are there others that could attack us?" He asked, feeling as tired as Neji looked.

Ino shook her head, "They were alone, if we encounter anyone else it wont be for the same reason."

Shikamaru tapped the jar in front of him with the tip of his sandal, sloshing some of the water inside around. "Who's this guy?" Neji had seperated the nin's chakra core from the rest of him and they'd put it into one of the jars that Chouji had packaged tomatoes in. Asuma had told them that unless he was exposed to water he would remain in stasis indefinitely.

"He's Atabi, the one that was killed..." She said, with a glance at the wrapped corpse just inside the circle of firelight. "...is Shimi." Shikamaru blinked at this. They had a passing resemblance but he wouldn't have guessed they were related.

"Your brother?" He said, looking at her. She turned away from his gaze, saying nothing and he sighed. "So we've got three prisoners and no more carriage. We're still two days away from Kirigakure and we're not even sure if where we're escorting these people to isn't hostile as well." He turned to the merchant.

"You know, lying about the details for a mission is a good way to get killed." The merchant sniffed at being addressed by a 'child'.

Neji spoke up first, "We could kill the prisoners and burn the bodies, they've little use for study." The Hyuga gestured at the three clients. "Regardless of our decision with the prisoners I think it's clear that these three should be compensated for the loss of the wool and released to find their own way to the Mist Village. This mission originally received C-rank due to the potential for battle with lower level shinobi. With what we've encountered so far I would guess that given all of the information the Hokage would have classified it as a high B or perhaps even a low A."

The merchant blustered something but Asuma silenced him with a look. Ino was staring at Shikamaru. "Shikamaru?" She asked, looking afraid. His scowl was back on and in full force as he surveyed the campsite.

"We have to finish the escort." He said, staring into the fire. "Iwagakure and Konoha have no love lost between them. Abandoning a known member of one of their clans, even a lesser one, would be seen as a hostile act. I'm not going to risk breaking a strained relationship between two hidden villages over some tightwad too cheap to pay for a B-class mission."

The 'merchant' stood up in anger, pointing a shaking finger at Shikamaru. "I wont be talked to like that!" Asuma grumbled something and then gestured at the three clients.

"I'm of the opinion to kill you all and say the mission was a failure due to false intelligence. Iwa wont be pleased but it'll be a lot better than trying to explain to them why we abandoned you in the middle of nowhere. So when he talks, you listen." Asuma spoke in a conversational tone but his words caused the man to go pale. He caught Ino's eye and winked at her.

"I'm a little confused as to why we're escorting civilians to a hidden village that wants kekkei genkai though." Shikamaru looked at the two women.

The younger, a pale girl not much older than Shikamaru himself spoke. "A marriage has been arranged to ally our clan with the Momochi clan." She wore a green kimono that had been quickly altered, by Ino he guessed, with a cut up the side. It was dirty and torn in several places but he noticed that she did appear dignified despite her attire and the surroundings. Her hair was black and worn loose but in the firelight it reflected back a deep red. The elder woman just looked...out of place.

His own attempts at alteration had resulted in the woman wearing an almost indecently short kimono of the same color and her legs looked as though they were clad in spotted stockings with the number of bruises she'd received from his rough handling.

Her iron-grey hair was worn in a bun high on the back of her head and her pinched face was either a result of the pain she was in or what she thought of the situation.

"I am Kamizuru Mara, this is Kamizuru Shimiku-san." The younger woman said. Ino introduced them all and Asuma cut into the tired conversation with a yawn.

"We'll be moving all day tomorrow on foot unless we can find another carriage between here and the Mist Village so lets get some sleep. We'll rotate guard shifts by alphabetical order, I'll go first." He stood and threw another thick log on the fire. Ino and Asuma were the only ones that had retained their bags so the majority of their group would be sleeping on the ground. It would be uncomfortable but at least they would be warm.

* * *

Shikamaru nudged Asuma and Ino awake with his sandal as the sun rose in the east. He was still tired but he'd had a bit of food and was feeling much better than he had the night before. Neji was already up and had washed himself in the same stream they'd been fighting in the day before. They dipped deeply into their remaining rations to breakfast but they'd be able to restock their supplies once they made it to Kirigakure.

The prisoners were led on a rope that tied the two together. The problem of the corpse was solved when Shomi picked up her dead brother. Asuma carried the jar with the last shinobi in his pack. The trail was well used and after a brief uphill after the river was completely flat. They made decent time considering the amount of people they were trying to move all at once.

Ino's was the only voice that was heard all morning, she had taken to walking next to Mara and began asking her questions about her impending marriage. "So you've never met this guy?" She asked, staring intently at the older woman.

"No, I have been told about him but never met him."

Ino frowned, "Well how do you know you'll like him?" The idea of an arranged marriage wasn't completely foreign to her but as a shinobi she'd never be married unless she wished it. She'd never met anyone who was a part of an arranged marriage.

"I hope I will like him but I don't know for sure." She stumbled slightly and Ino steadied her. "It was as much my choice as my fathers. I'm the third daughter of a clan leader and I didn't want to train as a shinobi. If this is how I can strengthen my clan than I consider it an honor."

Ino chewed on this for a while, "What if he looks like a toad?"

Shikamaru dropped back to the prisoners and the two voices faded. He walked next to Shomi. He could smell her even through her uniform, sweating and struggling underneath the burden she'd created herself.

"Why'd you kill him?" He asked, his hands in his pockets. When she said nothing he continued on, "He would have been taken prisoner as well."

She barked a short, labored laugh. "He didn't need your mercy, Leaf boy."

Shikamaru ignored the name and continued on, "Could have done with a little less of yours." He observed not looking over at her.

"We knew the day would come when we'd meet a blood limit we couldn't fight. It's just like you privileged people to assume that because we've lost our lives we've also lost our purpose. I fought for equality and a safer future for my village. What can you claim you've ever done?" She was careful to keep her voice low, Asuma had already warned her once that morning about speaking out of turn.

"That's what interests me." He said, impressed that she was so principled. "There are very few people that embrace a darker part of themselves. Everyone believes their cause is the just and right. You, for instance, believe that blood line jutsus are?" He asked, leaving the question open.

"A mutation caused by inbreeding that give people who'd otherwise be unremarkable, power they don't deserve and don't have the discipline to control. I've trained most of my life to be able to fight as I do. In training I've learned not only how to move my body but my mind as well. I've learned when to use my talents and when to use my head. If I just decided and could give my training to some child...how do you think they would solve all their problems?" She asked, readjusting the corpse onto her other shoulder.

"The easiest route is rarely the right one. Kekkei Genkai give people the power of the easy route and they use and abuse their unnatural power to force their will on the world around them. It shouldn't be like that. Wisdom only follows trial. There's no wisdom to be had when everything is just handed to you because you're a bully." She spit on the ground. "I don't expect you to understand. I've spent my whole life in the service of ideals not the pursuit of profit like Konohagakure."

"I understand. It's a sound argument." He said. Her head spun around to look at him, trying to detect if he was being facetious. "Power without being tempered to use it is like a toddler with an explosive tag. It's just dangerous."

She watched him out of the corner of her eye. "But you have a blood line technique." She said after a while.

"Yep." He said, wondering if the smoke on the horizon was a village or just a cook fire.

"Then you can't possibly understand." She said, her eyes back on the ground in front of her watching for roots and rocks.

"I understand your premise and I actually agree with it. Your conclusions are a little half baked though." He shrugged, not really caring. He wasn't going to undo years of belief with a conversation. He caught Asuma's attention and pointed at the smoke.

"Yeah, Neji saw that about a half an hour ago. The road will take us past whatever it is. Hopefully we can commission another carriage. I wouldn't mind sending a message to the Hokage either." His sensei said, the prisoners rope over one shoulder.

"What do you mean by half baked?" Shomi asked, sweat dripping off the tip of her nose. They'd have to rest soon.

"Power is responsibility but discrimination against a group of people for their birth and not their actions is stupid. You're the worst sort of idealist. You have half of a really good argument and you can convince others to join you for that belief but the other half is just the philosophical equivalent of taking a dump. 'They're different...kill them.' If you thought about it long enough, instead of just spewing the same garbage that you've been taught you'd know that there are better alternatives to genocide."

She glared at the Nara, "This coming from all the life experience a fourteen year old has to offer." She snarled, "My brother and I were orphaned when the Kaguya clan attacked. Filthy kekkei genkai users with no other desire in life than to battle and conquer those weaker than them. Mizukage Yagura wiped them from the face of the earth for their crimes and took us in. You've never known that sort of life. Tell me what would you have had us do? All join hands, sing a few songs and try to teach the Kaguya the wisdom needed to govern the abilities that should have never been gifted them?"

She glared murder at the shadow nin. "I know this is hard for a Konohagakure shinobi to understand but life isn't all sunshine and rainbows for the rest of us. If they had been killed sooner I'd still have parents. If my actions only save one other family from that...from coming home to find their parents disemboweled and hung by their own entrails...then I've done a damn fine thing with my life. Sitting around trying to educate people that just want to kill you because they can is suicidally stupid. My _brother _believed in our cause and had I been in his position he would be carrying me instead of the other way around. Don't speak to me about choices when you've been coddled and cared for and enjoyed the peace of your beloved village for your whole life."

Shikamaru frowned and allowed her to pass, his steps slowing until he was behind them all, walking by himself. _I...didn't think of it that way. _He replayed their conversation in his head over and over. It was easy to think that he had life figured out, his age group was famous for having the answer to all of life's mysteries. That he was intelligent and educated didn't help this stereotype but he'd never been shown, in such glaring light, his obvious lack of life experience.

He knew that the majority of life existed in a grey area of moral compromise. He had never thought of himself as an overly principled person but the idea that he might have to one day compromise in what he believed to be a black and white world was disturbing to him. _Maybe I've never had a hard choice to make. _There'd been difficult tasks but never anything he couldn't cope with.

They reached a small settlement as the day was ending. The source of the smoke was a small travelers inn. They last leg of their journey would be by boat but their hopes were realized when the inn keeper had a small wagon for purchase.

After yelling at the merchant Asuma handed the Ryu to the nervous looking innkeep. Though, looking at their group Shikamaru was not surprised that the man wanted to see the back end of them and quite fast. The three clients and the corpse rode in the back of the wagon. Asuma had placed some sort of preservation jutsu on the dead shinobi and in the heat, Shikamaru was intensely grateful for it but it was still oddly disquieting to have a corpse as a regular traveling companion. Imubaki finally had enough at one point when the wagon hit a rut and rolled the corpse into his leg.

"Does this thing really have to come with us?" He asked, annoyed with the entire situation.

"Yep." Shikamaru and Asuma said at the same time.

"Does it have to stay back here? There are ladies present, it's rude to force them into such a situation." He said, trying to sound offended.

Asuma turned around, the cigarette in his mouth sending curling smoke lazily into the growing dark. "Nope. If you're that worried about their delicate sensibilities you can carry him."

After that he shut up for which everyone was grateful. The trail was in good condition and relieved of her burden, Shomi and Luz were able to continue on well past dark. They were nearing the shipping village when Asuma finally called a halt to their march. "I don't want to try to find a room with prisoners in tow."

* * *

Neji watched Shikamaru closely. He'd been back to scanning every four minutes and saw the internal conflict within the Nara. _He's contemplating something stupid. _Asuma assigned the guard rotation again, Ino first, then himself, Neji and finally Shikamaru. He indulged in a light meditation during his own shift. He was still completely aware of his surroundings but didn't actively patrol around the camp with his Byakugan active.

When it came time to wake Shikamaru he only had to walk near the Nara who was already awake. Neji briefed the jonin on the various positions of the animals that were around their camp in case they made any sound. Shikamaru nodded absently and Neji lay down on his side, ensuring that his hair covered his temple.

He lay there, allowing his breathing to slow down, his Byakugan active watching not only the surrounding area but Shikamaru as well.

It was well into the second hour of Shikamaru's watch that the Nara made several hand symbols. Neji saw the rope of shadow, only visible to his eyes because of the chakra that infused it, slowly form and slide towards the sleeping prisoners. Just as Neji was about to accost him he saw the tentacle slip into the manacles that bound Luz and then the rope around Shomi. As soon as both were free he saw the tentacle flatten out and float back to the ground. Already touching them Shikamaru only had to adjust the chakra flow and the Kagemane was in place. Both of sleeping parties were immediately awake as the pressure settled over them. They sat up, just as Shikamaru was and when he stood they stood.

Taking care not to make a sound he walked them all out of camp. Shikamaru was nearing the edge of his byakugan when he stopped. He couldn't hear them but he carefully read their lips as they spoke.

Shomi was first to speak, after Shikamaru had released the Kagemane, _"Why?"_

Shikamaru shook his head, _"I don't know which of us is right." _Luz, never one to clutter a conversation looked anxious to leave. Shomi ignored him though.

_"What about my brother?" _She asked, looking pensive, as if Shikamaru was tricking her.

Shikamaru shook his head, _"He's dead, you saw to that. His body will be given to the Kirigakure shinobi." _Shikamaru pulled the bottle containing their last member out of his thigh pouch and gave it to the kunoichi.

_"Right or not, Shomi...if I see you again during this mission, one of us will die and I don't think either of us believes it will be me. Think about what I said...I will think on what you have told me as well. Maybe one of us will be smart enough to think of a compromise."_

Neji remarked, in a detached way that Shikamaru's Kagemane was still at their feet, invisible in the darkness but just as potent, trembling and waiting for release. Shomi turned to leave but stopped, turning back to the Nara.

She leaned in and placed a kiss on his cheek looking both embarrassed and sad. Gesturing at Luz and cradling the jar with her last team mage in it she turned and walked away, Shikamaru's shadow following her and Luz until he could no longer see them in the darkness.

Neji sat up and nudged both Asuma and Ino. The former woke up immediately while the latter snorted and rolled over.

* * *

Shikamaru walked back to the camp, still feeling conflicted about his decision. He was not surprised to find that his entire team was already awake and staring at him. _Neji must have seen something was wrong. _It was going to be difficult to work with someone who could gauge your every emotion.

Asuma looked at him gravely, "I've never given you cause to think that I'm not a rational man, Shikamaru." He said, gesturing for his student to have a seat. Ino was busy making a fire and looking extremely uncomfortable. "What made you think that I wouldn't agree with your reasons?"

The Nara sat down opposite his sensei, pained that he could hear the hurt in Asuma's voice. "I wasn't worried that you wouldn't understand, Asuma-sensei." He said, addressing the man more formally than he usually did. Asuma was like a second father to him and he didn't want to do anything to disturb that relationship.

Ino and Neji both looked at him now, their faces unsure. Asuma only shook his head. "It should have been a team decision, regardless." Shikamaru shook his head.

Ino spoke up just before Neji, "I don't understand." She said, looking anxiously between her sensei and her friend.

Asuma spoke without looking at her, his hands finding the straps of his pack even in the dark. The smell of coffee filled the small camp as he began to ready the bitter drink. "It's against the law to release prisoners without a Kage's permission. He wants to take the full responsibility of the choice for himself."

Neji fixed Asuma with a stare. "The consequences are his but I don't believe we can afford to ignore our immediate, tactical problem." Asuma looked at him, quirking an eyebrow in question.

"He needs to be taken into custody." Neji explained and Ino made a strangled sound.

Asuma spoke, "Well...I don't know if that's quite necessary..." He began, his hands stilled from working on the coffee.

"Your opinions aside, Asuma-sensei...the Hokage's law exists independent of our personal desires. That's why it's called the Law, not the Suggestion. If you find the task distasteful I am capable of carrying out _my _duty." He said, annoyed that even with another jonin present the task had fallen to him. That people couldn't separate emotion from duty was the single-most aggravating part of being a shinobi. _I thought Asuma was more of a professional than this._

"Ino!" Asuma barked and Neji turned to see her hands in the seal for a mind-swap. "He's right. We'll deal with it once we get back to Konoha." She grumbled and let her hands fall to her sides.

She glared at Neji and stomped out of the campsite.

* * *

Shikamaru sighed as the manacles chaffed his wrists. It was nice not to have to walk but the rickety wagon was almost as bad. When Neji had first placed him in restraints he'd been somewhat relieved that while his actions were technically illegal, none of his team thought him a traitor. Neji was just too strict to allow for any wiggle room in the law. It wasn't personal with him, just business.

That was until Neji took his hitai-ate. He'd never had to work hard for it but he'd been proud when it had been given to him regardless. No one else wore it and now it was in Neji's thigh pouch. He didn't ask for it back, it was probably in a rule book somewhere that shinobi in custody for suspected treason were relieved of any markings that identified them with their village.

It stung, regardless.

They reached the village early in the morning. The boat, having already waited a day for them, was anxious to be off. They raised anchor within an hour of arriving at the docks and were on their way. He was placed in the brig as soon as the captain saw him in chains. He was a surly man of a middling age with peppered hair and bowed legs.

He pointed at the chained Nara. "I'll not be having a prisoner running around me ship. Inta tha brig." The 'brig' was a single cage a bit taller than he was and just wide enough for him to sit down and stretch his legs out. A merchant vessel was loathe to give up any room that could be used for valuable cargo and the brig reflected this.

To make matters worse there was a storm somewhere offshore the night before and the waves that were coming into port, all the way to Kirigakure were rocking the boat. Shikamaru, not prone to motion sickness, felt his inner ear rebelling. He spent the majority of the trip moaning and vomiting. Ino had come to sit with him but after a while not even she could handle being below decks and had to return to the railing outside.

They arrived in port just after midday. Their orders ended at the port where they were being met by the Momochi clan. Mara braved the lower decks to bid him farewell.

"You are an unusual person, Nara Shikamaru." She said, her nose wrinkling at the smell he'd produced over the last five hours.

"I hope your marriage is successful, Mara-san." He said, trying to approximate a bow without cracking his skull.

She smiled at him and was replaced with Neji who informed him that Ino and Asuma would be transferring the clients to Kiri-nin control. The captain wouldn't allow them to leave their prisoner unguarded though and he had volunteered.

"Thanks Neji." He said, a little grossed out now that the boat had stopped moving. "Asuma has a travel shogi board in his pack he didn't take it with him."

A few minutes later Neji returned, laying out the pieces and sitting cross-legged across from the Nara. They played for probably an hour before Asuma and Ino returned, the latter seeming surprised that the two boys were deep in the middle of their second game.

It was still a few hours before the boat was scheduled to sail and Asuma took Neji's place. "Go see the town, be back by four. Go together." He said as Ino started running from the hold.

She looked back at Neji and scoffed. "I'm not going with that guy." She said, angrily. "Then you're both not going and we still need supplies." She huffed and stamped her foot like a child but in the end she agreed and they left together.

* * *

Neji, for his part, just avoided speaking with Ino during their excursion into the foreign town. Konohagakure wasn't a favorite by local standards but nor were they hated. Mostly they were treated with a cool distrust. As if they were riffraff. He gathered the supplies they needed quickly, when they finished with a shinobi weapon dealer Ino finally broke the silence.

"Why'd you have to put him in chains?" She said, looking not quite angry but close to it.

Neji thought about ignoring the question but answered anyway, despite his better judgement. "Because he is a potential traitor."

"Oh he's not a damn traitor. Not any more than you or me." She waved her hand in a disgusted manner.

"We could bet our own lives on that and more than likely we'd be right, Ino-san, even if we were wrong the most we'd pay with is our lives. You're asking me to bet Konoha on that...and that is something I will never do and not something you should be willing to risk either, no matter how well you think you know someone. I'm not so sure of my powers of observation that I'm willing to put anyone else at risk for my mistakes." She sighed.

"You're just like him, you know?" She said, drawing a sharp gaze from him. "I mean, he's a bit less rigid but you're both kind of...all or nothing guys. Something's either right or it's wrong. It's not a bad way to be I guess but it makes the rest of us pretty frustrated sometimes."

She pointed at a bakery, "Come on, I want to get something for Chouji."

'Something' turned into another hour of sighing, sniffing, squeezing and choosing. At the end of which he was willing to pay for whatever gift she wanted if she'd only hurry up.

* * *

The waters had calmed somewhat but his stomach was still delicate after their first crossing and he was no better off. _At least I don't have anything else to cough up. _

The trip back was mercifully shorter, the winds at their back this time. They made port just as the sun was setting. The wagon they'd bought from the tavern keep was sold,_ for a pittance_, he thought and they were heading back towards Konoha. Unburdened by clients or carriages they made much better time, his legs had been freed but the shackles at his wrists were still in place as they traveled over land.

The trip itself wasn't eventful but it did allow him a large amount of time for self reflection. It also gave him far too much time to go over Konoha laws in his head as well as traditional punishments in similar cases of misconduct. They stopped that night just after a sign announcing "The Great Naruto Bridge" Ino said it had to be a coincidence but given the mission in the Land of Waves that team seven had completed, he wondered if maybe it wasn't.

He played shogi with Neji that night and tried not to think about what was waiting for him back in Konoha. _At best, a formal reprimand...maybe a demotion too. _That thought was the only thing that buoyed him. _At worst, a Yamanaka inquiry...maybe a stay in the dungeon. Removal from active duty...banishment. _He sighed, outwardly and resigned himself to just worrying about it. The thoughts weren't going away and as they got closer and closer to Konoha his tension only grew.

An hour outside of Konoha he turned to Neji during a rest. "I'm not running, Neji. I'd prefer to not have to walk into Konoha in chains. If I'm found guilty it'll be widely known soon enough...if not I'd rather not have to answer troublesome questions about it."

Neji looked at Asuma who only shrugged, "He's your prisoner."

Ino chipped in though likely she was only making it worse. "Oh just let him out, he's too lazy to run away."

Shikamaru sighed in relief as the manacles were removed. He rubbed his offended wrists and stretched. "Thanks." Neji only nodded at him.

It was a short trip to the front gates of Konoha and they made directly for the Hokage's tower. Not only was Shikamaru's treachery a pressing matter but also the need to debrief the Hokage regarding a mislabeled mission as well. She'd want to know immediately so she could send an appropriate bill to Ujoh Imubaki. It was all he could do to make his legs walk up the stairs of the Hokage tower. As they reached the top the two chunin guards nodded in greeting. After an eternity spent waiting (it felt like), they were brought in front of the Hokage.

Asuma explained what had happened, going into great detail about the shinobi they'd encountered. He finished with their return trip and the Hokage took a moment. She still hadn't looked up from her paperwork but they could all see an angry tic on her temple. "Damn Ujoh...I should have known he was going to try to pad his pocketbook with this one. Well, I'm glad you're all fine regardless, it's hard to justify two jonin on a C-class mission but after I explain what happened I think the council will give me a little more breathing room. They're going to look like a horses ass on this one."

She looked up finally, "Oh and what happened to the prisoners?" She asked, her conversational voice send what little calm Shikamaru had managed to keep a hold of thus far skittering for cover. He took a deep breath and stepped forward.

* * *

_Thanks for all the support guys. Hope you enjoy the chapter. _

_As always and comments, reviews, corrections or suggestions are welcome._

_Anbu-Dave_


	9. Chapter 9: In the grass

Kagemane Complete

Chapter 9: In the grass

Shikamaru inhaled deeply and opened his mouth. Neji stepped forward, bumping his shoulder softly interrupting him just as he began speaking. "Due to tactical difficulties it was not prudent to continue holding the prisoners in such close proximity to the two Kamizuru clan members." The Hyuga said, not blinking.

The Hokage nodded absently, her face still buried in a stack of papers. "Anything else?" She asked, grumbling at a particularly offensive piece of paper.

Asuma spoke up, grabbing Shikamaru's shoulder as the Nara opened his mouth again. "No, Hokage-sama."

"Then get out?" She said, glaring at the Sarutobi. She barked at his back as the team turned to leave. "And explain to your chunin the rules governing jutsu use in my office. If I see it again I'm putting _you _back on D-rank for a month."

"Post haste, Hokage-sama." Asuma said with an uncomfortable grin.

* * *

Shikamaru rounded on his team. "What exactly is going on?" It had been a long time since he'd been angry and he was hopping mad now. "I spent four days and two boat rides in chains just so you could have a laugh?"

Neji spoke calmly, "Am I laughing?"

"Then what the hell is all this about?"

Neji raised his hand, glaring at Ino when she opened her mouth, "I trust my eyes, Jonin-Nara. 'Reliable, firsthand and timely intelligence.' as you called it. You created a problem when you trusted yourself over Hokage law. A problem you forced me to correct myself." He clasp his hands behind his back and stared through Shikamaru.

"I needed to be sure of your loyalties so I created a situation where you had nothing to gain from loyalty and everything to lose. In the Hokage's office I activated my Byakugan and ensured that you had every intention of confessing."

"So you manipulated me?" Shikamaru asked, his anger sliding away.

"Correct." Neji said fixing him with a serene gaze.

_Damn if Tsunade wasn't right...that's annoying. _"Ok." He said, pushing his hands back into his pockets. "I haven't had a change of clothes in the better part of a week. I'll see you guys tomorrow." He caught Ino's eye. "Tell Chouji I said 'Hi.'"

She waved and they dispersed for the evening, Shikamaru's mind still buzzing.

* * *

Kabuto licked his lips as he watched the Nara genius make his way home. It was a simple matter of following him, if he wanted to he could have even killed the 'jonin' but that was not what Orochimaru wanted.

He resigned himself to donning his old anbu disguise and following the hated Nara. _Soon though, _he thought trying to calm himself, _soon Orochimaru-sama will have what he wants and I'll teach the Nara what it means to cross me._

* * *

He trudged up the stairs and after scrubbing himself clean, not to mention a little raw as well, he climbed into his own bed, thankful that he'd have at least a nights respite.

His dreams were troubled that night but despite his mind's best attempts to keep him unrested he slept throughout it.

As the sun rose he turned off his alarm without opening his eyes, a talent he had perfected in the academy. It had been rare for him to sleep in a single stretch and he generally caught up when he could, such as during class.

He lay in bed for another half an hour, trying to summon the motivation to listen to his mother harp at him. _I should head over to Chouji's._

He kicked off the blankets and tried to open his eyes. Blinking a few times he rubbed them, trying to fix the blur he saw. His eyes opened completely and his heart leapt into his throat. His vision narrowed, growing black at the edges as terror filled him.

He stared up at his ceiling, on which in a sure hand, was written a message. The message itself didn't register until his mind had correctly identified the means by which the message had been brushed onto his ceiling. Blood, brown now, but as bright as a roses when it had been used as ink, covered the ceiling. He looked at it in growing horror. The message was simple, there was an arrow that was pointing at the south end of his room. His bed was situated north to south and from his perspective the arrow appeared to be pointing at his feet.

_'I wanted to thank you.' _Such a short phrase and then that bloody arrow. His feet began to tingle. The arrow was pointing at the answer to his sanity. He clenched his eyes shut and willed himself to be dreaming. He already knew what was at the end of his bed but in a general way.

One downside to intelligence is rarely being able to delude yourself. _Blood is the clue and the answer. _He just had to look and see whose blood it was. Which one of the beloved people in his life had paid the ultimate price for his arrogance?

He felt tears sliding down his temples and tickling his ears. _Take your pick, Marumaru. Is it your mother, or your father? _He shuddered as he sobbed, unable to muster the courage to look. _Maybe both, hacked to pieces, waiting at the end of your bed with dead, accusing eyes. _

His face contorted in agony as his mind continued on, oblivious to his horror. _I hope it's father, _it began, _he's a shinobi and..._He sobbed loudly. _And what, Marumaru, they're both shinobi. Do you love your mother more? It's ok to say that...HOPE your father is dead. It's not hard. If you hope, it might come true._

His hands shot up to his temples and he pressed at his head viciously. _Can't pound that thought out, Shiki-kun. I know you want him to be there. Isn't it odd? Even if you will not admit it out loud, no matter who is at the end of your bed, dead and rotting, you'll feel a hundred times more guilty now._

He whimpered in pain. _All because you're too much of a coward to sit up. _He shook his head angrily. _Now! Get up! One or both? _He let out a wretched howl and sat up.

* * *

"Just tell him I'm sick or something, damnit!" Shikamaru yelled, slamming the door in Ino's face. He leaned his back against it, listening for the kunoichi's receding footsteps, willing himself not to cry again. There was too much to do to indulge in his sorrow.

He ran back up the stairs to his room and inspected it again. He'd re-painted his ceiling. It wouldn't stand up to Byakugan scrutiny but that wouldn't happen until he was long gone. He gathered his bloody bedding, sheets, blankets and all and stuffed them into a pillowcase and threw it down the stairs. He'd already taken care of what was left of the body.

His window was already open to rid the room of the coppery smell of blood and he took a moment as he was leaving to examine his work. There was no more blood to be seen, the murderer had placed the head in one of their kitchen pots to collect the dribbling blood. _He knew I'd have to hide this. _He thought with growing disgust. _Stop it! There's no time for anger...just get the sword and give it to them. _

The letter that had been nailed to the head was still in his pocket and it felt like it was burning his thigh just being there. He wanted to be rid of it, knew he'd have to be before he left the house, but he also didn't trust himself to remember the instructions it gave. Not when it had taken him twenty minutes to put on his pants.

Satisfied that there were no clues to what had happened there he took out the guest bedding and remade his bed. Afterwards he returned to the downstairs and took the pillowcase full of bloody sheets and threw it into the fireplace. He'd already stoked a roaring fire and didn't stop to watch the cotton disintegrate.

Instead he took out the small note and reread it for what seemed like the millionth time.

_Nara Shikamaru-san,_

_I salute you for a game well played. Orochimaru-sama was quite amused with your planning and execution of the rescue mission. There are few people indeed that can outsmart me. I apologize for the rather...shall we say colorful?...awakening but I wanted to get your full attention quickly._

_There are several things that interest my master at the moment, not the least of which is the remaining Oto-nin your torture and interrogation squad has in custody as well as Uchiha Sasuke. You will free them all._

_You will bring The Kusanagi Sword as well as the three shinobi to the Valley of the End. There you will burn a fire for three days at the head of Uchiha Madara and wait for someone to appear._

_If the fire is not burning by the end haochizuki...well this time I am not so pressed for time. Death will take much longer to visit. _

_I would tell you that any hint of this reaching another's ear will be met with the same conclusions but that's a logical assumption. We both know they will not _give _you the sword, not to save one little shinobi parent. You must take it and to take it, you must be seen as trustworthy._

_I wish you luck, Nara-san. I'm looking forward to talking to you in person._

_Sincerely,_

_Yakushi Kabuto_

_P.S.- If our Oto brethren give you too much trouble you may command them with the phrase, "I am the snake's fang."_

He looked up at the ceiling and repeated the letter in his head verbatim twice before also throwing it into the fire.

_The sword is sealed within a snake that has been swallowed by a toad. _His mind told him firmly. After torturing him on his bed it had relented and was now too numb with shock to do much more than spit facts at him. _There's only one person with a contract for summoning toads. _

* * *

Jiraiya had enjoyed his last few days in Konoha. He had avoided the tower but that was to be expected. They were going to miss each other but neither one had been very good at expressing their feelings so their bittersweet parting was about the best he could have hoped for. If he saw her before he left it was only tempting fate.

He'd told Naruto that they were leaving today, regardless if his classmates had returned from their mission. Thankfully he'd heard that they had returned so he wouldn't be dragging the gaki away without a proper goodbye.

It was with little surprise that he saw the Nara that had rescued him walking through the entryway of the diner just after Naruto with that scowl still on his face.

* * *

Shikamaru tried his best to still his features. _He's leaving! For years if Naruto is right. _He chewed on the problem in his mind.

"Shika-kun! Can I get you something to drink? They have milk or..." The toad sage thought about it for a moment, "...milk?"

Shikamaru shook his head, suddenly intimately aware of every tiny involuntary thing that his face was doing. This was only the first of two sanin he had to convince.

"I wanted to ask you about signing the Toad Scroll. I don't have a summons of my own and it would be troublesome to go through another chunin exam without one." His hands were in his pockets and he was still slouched but his palms were greasy with sweat and he felt a small trickle of it down his spine as well. _This has to be perfect. He plays a fool but he's still a sanin. _

Jiraiya shook his head at the Nara, "I don't have the time to teach you to summon, we're leaving today."

It took everything he had to yawn lazily, "I can get Kakashi to teach me, he knows how to summon dogs. It's the same principle, just different animals. Toads are a bit more versatile." He shrugged, "Anyways, no one else has a toad scroll."

Jiraiya looked unsure but Naruto interrupted what was sure to be another refusal, "You owe him big time Ero-sennin!" The blond said, pointing an accusatory finger at the sanin.

"Yeah, I suppose so." He said, rubbing his stubbled chin. His consternation evaporated and he grinned broadly. "When you finally learn how to actually summon they'll be pretty pleased I let you sign anyways."

He reached behind his back in a fluid movement and brought the scroll around in an arc, unrolling it across the table he sat at.

"A bit of blood and your mark there..." He said, pointing at a blank space. Shikamaru took a moment to marvel at the other names on the scroll he could see. Naruto he suspected, Jiraiya was there as well though not visible. The Fourth's mark was there, as red as if he'd just signed in a moment ago. As he bit his thumb Jiraiya held up a hand.

"This is not a decision made lightly, Nara Shikamaru. Only continue if you're willing to make a lifelong commitment. You can summon them and they can also summon you."

Shikamaru nodded and signed his name in blood. _A lifetime measured in two months isn't much of a commitment but sure._

"Thanks, Jiraiya-sama." He said, the formality slipping through as his mind tried to cope with what he was doing.

Jiraiya grinned at him, the somber expression gone, "I'd try summoning Gamakichi for your first attempt, Kakashi will show you how to differentiate between different summons." Shikamaru waved in what he hoped looked like a half-hearted manner.

"Take care of yourself Naruto. Don't become a pervert or anything." Naruto shook his fist at the Nara but Shikamaru had already turned around and was ambling away.

* * *

What followed was the most exhausting month he'd ever endured. For the first time he began exercising his ill-gotten authority, skipping team meetings and training sessions and instead training with Kakashi. He had half the key to retrieving Kusanagi but even his half needed to be developed so that he could use it at will. The second half he could only guess about.

He hadn't been told of another snake summoner in the village but logic said that there had to be if the method of sealing away Kusanagi wasn't a deliberate lie. Anytime he thought about it being a lie he became disoriented from his task. There were a few assumptions he had to believe as fact and that was one of them. Else he would have no way of retrieving the blade and all his effort was for nothing.

He also had to keep the disappearance of his parents a secret or rather in his case a blatant lie. To the clan council he said that his father was on a prolonged s-class mission, to the Hokage and Konoha council his parents were at a sick cousin's home in the Land of Lightning.

Learning the toad summons as well as keeping his parents a secret was a relatively small portion of his time. He'd train for around six hours a day with Kakashi and unless there was a specific question asked of him the problem of his parents rarely came up. No, the second part of his plan was the reason he had dark circles under his eyes.

He couldn't simply ask to wield Kusenagi. They would suspect something was wrong. He had to be asked to wield it, or convince them to let another take it up. He'd come up with a plan while he'd been talking to Naruto and Jiraiya.

Everyone had noticed a distinct drop-off in C-rank missions and above. Konoha, after hosting the chunin exams and having a good showing (thus ensuring a year of prosperity) then lost it's Hokage to a missing-nin within it's own walls, even after they knew the trap was laid.

Any good impressions they'd made before that quickly withered away. His own plan was to continue to reduce faith in Konoha's services. While he'd never endanger his fellow shinobi, he was allowed unrestricted access to the Hokage's tower and used Tsunade's personal interest in his development to memorize potential clients and then 'leak' information to Suna or Iwa on who was looking to hire. It cost him quite a bit of money in pigeon and summons fees but the results were visible almost immediately.

_Welcome to 'the grey' Marumaru. _He continued his visits to the Hokage tower almost every day and he could see the growing frustration on Tsunade's face as they were undercut or altogether denied for mission after mission. He knew their coffers were shrinking away but he had no time to devote to both problems.

Their personal holdings weren't as much as the clans but he'd left a message in their family safe-deposit bequeathing not only their personal assets but their share of the clan medicinal holdings to the village.

They'd never be actually given to Konoha but the other Nara clan members would give their worth in Ryu to the tower to keep them all within the clan.

It wasn't a perfect plan and he was rapidly approaching the point when he'd cost the village more money than even that would repay but the explanation in the deposit box would hopefully explain the deficit if not earn him forgiveness.

Neither he nor Kakashi, even with the extensive amount of time he was spending learning how to summon with the copy-cat ninja, could think of a way to rehabilitate Sasuke. He had several ideas but nothing he was willing to put to words given that if he succeeded he'd only have to fight the Uchiha when he broke him out of prison.

It was nearing the end of the first month of the last two of his life when he could finally summon Gamakichi at will. The chakra involved with summoning and more importantly, learning to summon, was substantial and he'd taken to eating like an Akimichi to restore his reserves faster. He still hadn't gained a pound and in fact looked a little thinner but it allowed him to keep training even when he would have collapsed before.

He saw very little of his team and when he did see them he was curt and withdrawn. Having a Hyuga too close to him, reading his every emotion, was just asking to be caught. He tried to make it seem as though he was still angry about the manacles incident but it even sounded fake in his own ears.

Finally he just started saying hurtful things until they stopped coming around.

Not even his own home was a refuge during those days. He couldn't sleep in his room anymore and he certainly wasn't going to sleep in his parent's. He'd taken to sleeping in the sitting room and while it was uncomfortable the heart-pounding nightmares of severed heads at his feet were shorter.

It was almost the end of the first week in the second month and he was despairing of Tsunade ever asking his opinion about the village's problem when she finally uttered the words he'd been waiting for. _It's funny, _he remarked to himself, _how such a small thing as trust can be so deadly. _He chuckled bitterly in his mind and listened patiently to the Hokage.

"What do you think, Shikamaru?" She asked blithely, gesturing at another defunct mission contract. They hadn't had any S or A ranks in three weeks and no new B-ranks were on the horizon.

He looked at the paper, "It's not a coincidence that we're constantly being underbid by less than three percent." He said carefully. Tsunade was no fool and he'd have to give her ninety-nine percent of the truth to pass off the one percent of venom.

She nodded, "I've thought as much too, the only problem is I don't know where the leak is." She sighed and took a bottle of sake from a drawer and drank directly from it. If it bothered Shikamaru to see this he didn't show it.

"The source will reveal itself once taken out of it's comfort zone." He said, sitting down across from her. "He's found a niche, something easy to hide yet potent in effect. We just need to take away it's effectiveness." Tsunade leaned backwards in her chair and fixed him with bemused grin.

"How exactly do you propose we do that?" She said, taking another modest sip.

Shikamaru shrugged, "Using the same thing that got the village into this mess. A chunin exam."

Tsunade shook her head, "The next chunin exam isn't for eight more months and it's being held in Iwagakure anyways. I don't see how that will help us flush out any imposters regardless."

Shikamaru shook his head, "Not flush out...just make them impotent. If we treat the exam as a mission, a mission that we design around our genin looking far and beyond any other ninja teams capabilities, being undercut in bidding will mean little if they're not willing to risk coming up against a leaf shinobi. They'll gladly pay the extra money for quality."

Tsunade quirked her eyebrow at him, "I'm listening."

Shikamaru leaned back in his own chair, "We place a ringer into the exams, someone flashy. Then systematically cheat and make sure that at the end, every last one of our genin make chunin."

Tsunade grunted at this, "That's never happened before and besides, I'm not going to weaken the village by promoting people that aren't ready yet."

Shikamaru gave her a wry grin, "That's the best part, Tsunade-sama. Let them be promoted by the chunin selection council in the exams and then make a large deal about demoting them back to genin once they return to the village."

Tsunade grinned at this, "They're good enough to whip your asses but they're not quite Leaf Chunin material yet?"

Shikamaru nodded, "Exactly." He cold almost see Ryu signs in her eyes. _Now the tricky part. _

He stood up and frowned, looking out of the window with his arms folded and his chin on his chest, "It's...it needs something though. A cherry on top."

"We need your ace in the hole first." She said, smiling at Shikamaru with a slight redness forming in her cheeks from the alcohol.

Shikamaru shrugged, "Put Kakashi in a henge again." He doubted that the copy cat shinobi would be very thrilled about participating the chunin selection exam for a third time in his illustrious career but he knew that the suggestion was a bad one.

"No, we did that because we were being invaded. I'm not going to risk a war because we're at an economic bump in the road." Shikamaru sighed expressively.

"I can do it." He said, not looking at her.

"My thoughts exactly!" She grinned at his back.

Shikamaru turned back around to her and exhaled, "That would mean to get me off the jonin roster in time for the chunin exams that you'd have to demote me within the next few days."

The grin slipped off Tsunade's face. "Is that what this is all about? I hate being manipulated Shikamaru, you know that. Don't screw with me."

Shikamaru stuffed his hands into his pockets, "I'm not gonna say it's not a great bonus but look at the facts. Sasuke is the strongest genin at the moment, Naruto would be a close second if not a tie for it but neither of them can participate. Tenten would be the next obvious candidate but we both know it's only a matter of time before she comes up against something that her weapons can't defeat."

Tsunade glared at him from across her desk, "You're going to be a jonin right after the exam again."

"Jonin is a voluntary rank." He countered, looking bored.

"The rank is voluntary, the missions I give you are not. You can take chunin pay for A and S ranks if you want but it would really just be easier to accept the damn promotion."

He tried to look annoyed and defeated at the same time but it felt forced to him. _Kami this is hard. _He sat back down.

"The cherry." He said and she gestured for him to continue. She had returned to her paperwork, leaning over it and he could hear the harsh scratching as she filled out another missive.

"Give me the Kusanagi." He said, not bothering to look away from her. Regardless of how much he needed this her reaction had never been in doubt. The Kusanagi was one of the most revered and fabled weapons of their age. Not even the seven swordsmen of the mist had ever lay claim to it. It was said that the Kusanagi could only be gifted, never taken by force. The idea of giving it to a now-genin for the purpose of participating in a chunin exam was ridiculous.

His only claim to it was that he'd developed a plan that had failed at every goal but had resulted in the capturing of the artifact.

"It's not a damn toy, Shikamaru. It's a binding..." She began and he cut her off.

"The Kusanagi represents a binding and permanent contract, it has no sheath because it must be carried at all times. The moment it ever leaves it's wielder it consumes their soul. Even as the wielder carries the blade in life, so the blade carries them in death. It's an old story, Tsunade-sama and at least partially incorrect as Orochimaru is still alive." He said, speaking wryly.

"Orochimaru has bent his soul beyond any recognizable shape with his immortality jutsu. He left a part of his soul, very likely the part that had once inhabited the body he was in control of when you saw him, in the sword when it was taken from him. His core personality had to release it to survive but as you know, the Kusanagi must be gifted and I believe it was only because of an intense desire to be rid of Orochimaru that this other soul gave it away. As such the body he inhabits now has undoubtedly become unstable. This was the reason that he attacked Jiraiya when you were tasked to find me."

She stood and began pacing around the room. "It's a living thing, much like a summons. I've heard tales of it's thirst, Shikamaru. I think the sword is at least in-part responsible for Orochimaru's ambitions."

Shikamaru shrugged, "Even knowing that...it's too dangerous to not bind it. I'm passingly intelligent, mentally stable and as we both know...if ambition is it's main vice I'm not exactly the finest canvas to paint _that_ picture on."

Tsunade snorted, "That's the damn truth." She muttered, not expecting him to hear. "Even if I were to go along with this and I'm certainly not saying that, it'll be years before Jiraiya is back and he's took the only other toad summoner with him."

Instead of speaking he bit his thumb and slammed an open palm on the ground. In a puff of smoke and a small pop of air expanding, Gamakichi appeared. "What?" He said, looking offended.

"When did he..." She began, looking at the frog.

Shikamaru shook his head, "I only signed the contract, Kakashi had to teach me how to summon though. I'm not quite as good at it as Naruto but I don't have his chakra reserves either."

Shikamaru bowed slightly to the frog who waved amiably seeing that it wasn't Jiraiya. "You need something?" He asked and Shikamaru shook his head.

"Just illustrating a point, Gamakichi-san." He wasn't sure about how proud toads were and after hearing about Gamabunta he wasn't going to test the waters either. Gamakichi sniffed and then disappeared in another puff of smoke.

Tsunade was speaking to herself louder than she normally did, the alcohol affecting her now.

"Be hard to ignore a village with Kusanagi in hand especially after nabbing it from that snake." She tapped her lip in concentration. "Still..." She turned back to Shikamaru who was doing his best to look bored, he was sweating now and he didn't know how long he had until the nervous tension he felt was going to become visible enough to detect it. _Or how long until she smells me for that matter. _

She stared out of the window and went back to pacing for a few more minutes. He could see the cogs of her head turning as she ground through the pros and cons. He yawned and poured himself a glass of tea ignoring the dark look that it earned. At some points Tsunade expected him to serve himself, others...she expected him to not feel comfortable enough to take the liberty. It was odd being around a woman that reminded him so much of Ino all the time but was his superior in both skill and rank. _They've even got the same color hair. _

He scratched one of his earrings and waited patiently for her to come to the decision that would damn either what remained of his family or himself.

"Alright, it's a sound plan and it's not like you're going anywhere. I want your jonin promotion signed in advance though, we'll date it for a month after the chunin exam but I don't want you coming up with a plan to wiggle out of it at the last minute."

He made a show of sighing but when she produced the scroll he signed next to the wrong date. "Don't we need a witness?" He asked, trying to think of anything to talk about but what he was feeling. Signing your own death warrant was a rare feeling and one that he'd thankfully not have to repeat. For reason being promoted more than a half a year after he expected to be dead made him chuckle inwardly though.

"I did away with all that crap, takes too long. Shizune comes in and signs all my witness stuff once a week." She said, stuffing the scroll into a drawer unceremoniously. "Alright, Shikamaru you got your wish, you're a genin again. I hope you weren't too tyrannical with your power cause most of your team outranks you now."

He shrugged, "I just come up with the plans." He said simply. "They usually go along with them unless I'm wrong."

He peered at the Hokage, "I hadn't planned on using the Kusanagi as a weapon in the exam but I would like as much time learning to not cut my foot off with it as possible."

Tsunade grunted and pointed to her door, "I'll have Anko meet us here tomorrow. Be by around noon and we'll see if this plan will actually work. Until then, beat it. I've got reports to review."

* * *

_Shikamaru let out a wretched howl and sat up. _

_Though he'd gotten that far his eyes were closed tightly and tears leaked down his cheeks. Slowly, he opened his eyes, painting the picture of his room until he could see the horror in it's entirety._

_At the foot of his bed, set on his desk chair was his mothers favorite pot. She'd used it two weeks ago to cook them noodles. _

_In it was his father's head. _You got your wish, Marumaru, was just your dad. The old man. _His ponytail was perfectly in place. That was all he could see of the man that had raised him. A note had been..._nailed, you can think that..._nailed to his forehead. _

It's a note for me, _he thought blankly. He couldn't feel his lower half but he slid off the bed. He turned away from the impossible sight at the end of his bed and pulled the blankets up to his pillow. _She'll get mad if I don't make the bed. _Something was wrong with his mind but he couldn't really be bothered to examine it. _

_He turned and took the note from his father's head non-chalantly, trying not to focus on the face beneath it. The note itself was written on heavy parchment and as it tore away he saw his father's ponytail bounce, just slightly before he passed out._

He woke with a start, sweating and breathing deeply. He took a minute to calm himself and then kicked off the blankets. _Not going to get back to sleep now. _He made his way back to the main sitting room.

* * *

That evening saw him in his father's study. _My study now I guess. _He began writing the various letters of goodbye that would tie up all the loose ends a fourteen year old boy could have. He admonished Asuma to cut back on smoking and to embrace dating. In their profession second chances were rare. He thanks Ino for noticing Chouji, not that the Akimichi needed his help. He also wrote a letter for Chouji which, while the easiest to write, was still the longest. He would take it the hardest and he wanted to be sure that his best friend knew that nothing could have been done.

The last two letters he wrote were to his mother, in case she survived...something he was doubting more and more of late...and to Neji.

_Neji-chan, _(the opportunity to exasperate the uptight Hyuga was too good to pass up even now)

_You're back in the hot seat. By now the whole ordeal is out and regardless if you remember me as a leaf shinobi or a traitor, it falls to you to keep the group safe. Asuma's heart is in the right place but he's too lenient by half._

_Take care of them and they'll take care of you as well. _

_Shikamaru_

_P.S.- Get a damn girlfriend or something, people are starting to talk._

He sealed the letters and placed them above the mantle of the fireplace. They'd be found but only after an investigation of all that he had caused to transpire.

There was no warning as the voice broke the perfect silence of the room. Not even the barest whisper of wind or creek of the floorboards. First he was alone and then someone was next to him, speaking calmly.

"I'm sorry for not knocking." It started and he spun, kunai at the ready. His heart was beating wildly and he felt both sick and hot at the same time. Standing not a meter from him was the hooded form of Kabuto. He was holding a porcelain mask in his hand as if he had just taken it off and smiling amiably at Shikamaru.

His presence filled the room until there was little left for him to breath in. "How did you..."

Kabuto's smile grew, "Wait let me guess." He said, as if they were best friends playing a game. "How did I get in here? No...that's an easy question, you've probably just assumed it was the difference in our skill which is very correct. 'How did I kill your father?'" He asked, gauging Shikamaru's reaction.

"Well that's a different thing, and at least a question with an interesting answer. I didn't." Shikamaru sheathed the kunai. It never occurred to him to try to fight the spy. "Your father was the jonin captain for Konoha, a bit out of my comfort zone. Orochimaru-sama killed him, I just made the...presentation."

Shikamaru ground his teeth and the sound filled the room, "Now now, don't be upset. It's just business and rather distasteful business at that. I actually quite admire you. No matter how hard any of us tries to better ourselves there's always a single thing that we can never change: How intelligent we're born." He walked around the room looking at various things even once picking up his mothers knitting.

"You can replace your eyes, limbs...you can get a whole new body as Orochimaru-sama has proven but very few people can claim they'll ever be as intelligent as you." He put the knitting in his cloak. "I thought I might bring her something from home, if you don't mind. She seems depressed of late but far be it from me to impose on the new man of the house though."

Shikamaru didn't respond to the request, "She is alive?" He asked carefully, not really knowing what kind of answer he expected.

Kabuto looked offended and gave a good-natured laugh. "Of course she's alive and if you don't mind me saying...a bit of a talker. A little rough around the edges but it takes all kinds to make the world go 'round, yes?"

"Why are you here?" He asked, wishing he had the Kusagani now.

Kabuto looked slightly embarassed, "Well, Orochimaru-sama is growing a little impatient. His current body is failing him and he's had to devote the majority of his chakra to regenerating dying flesh. I'm beginning to think that two months was a little long. I know a deal's a deal and I tried to tell him that plans of the caliber it would take to remove the second most famous blade in the world from a hidden village are not to be upset with arbitrary time constraints but he wouldn't hear it. I'm afraid he's in quite a bit of pain."

He took a small wrapped bundle from his cloak and handed it to Shikamaru. The Nara took it hesitantly and as he opened it saw that it was stained in one corner with blood.

"Now, before you jump to conclusions...I gave you my word. Orochimaru-sama told me to send you 'one of her fingers' for ever day past this week that it takes you to retrieve his sword. He didn't actually say your mother. That particular one came from a..." He thought about it a moment. "Well that doesn't really matter. At any rate it's not your mother's but if he goes to see her I'm not going to be able to deny him a direct order. You are close I hope?"

Shikamaru finished opening the package and saw that it was indeed a finger, someone's pinky but far more wrinkled and palsied than his own mother's hands. _Why is he being so kami-be-damned polite?_

"I will be at the meeting place in three days, two if I don't have to get break into the prison." Kabuto shook his head.

"Three is fine, if you show up without Sasuke he'll be just pleased enough about regaining his sword to do something drastic with it." He walked back to the entryway and Shikamaru noticed that Kabuto's sandals were there. He carefully put them back on and then bowed deeply, something Shikamaru found repugnant for some reason. "I promise I'll never interrupt your personal time again with stupid questions like, 'When?' Artists shouldn't be bothered while creating their art." He gave Shikamaru an unreadable smile and then he was gone, as if he had never been there. His cloak folded inward and then turned in an eye-alarming way until there was nothing left.

He scowled at the empty space the shinobi had occupied. _Regardless of what happens, Kabuto...I wont be dying alone in three days._

* * *

Anko looked from Shikamaru to the Hokage, "You're sure about this." Shikamaru sighed and blew out a breath.

"Yes, Anko...stop being so troublesome. It's a good plan." He said, feeling far more annoyed than what he let his voice show. The frog itself hadn't been hard to summon, it wasn't particularly large and Gamakichi had told him it's name. They just couldn't continue without Anko to command the python from it's stomach.

Shikamaru suddenly remembered a dream he had had after the invasion. _Hokage Hiruzen smiling at me with broken teeth and Chouji kneeling, waiting for me to cut off his hand with the sword. _He trembled slightly. _My sword._

"Wait..." Shikamaru said, dazedly. Anko looked at him, her hands frozen as she stopped making the seals.

He turned to the frog whose mouth was open as if it were on a hinge. "Come out." He said, simply. Tsunade looked at him oddly but he ignored her.

"Kusanagi, you've already chosen. You chose the same night you were sealed away. Its...time." He said, echoing his dream. There was a soft hissing sound and just as if it were his dream all over again a python slid it's way up from the frog's gullet who, for his own part, didn't seem to notice. Instead of the third Hokage's face as he feared, it was only a snakes snout, intelligence flickered behind it's reptilian eyes but otherwise it was not human.

He held out his hand expectantly and the silence of the room was broken by a single sharp crack of the snake's unhinging jaw. A traditional sword hilt slowly protruded from the snake's mouth, seeming to come from nowhere. The sword itself was every inch a katana and though the snake's body was now coiled on the tongue of the toad, the sword came from it's mouth straight but for the curve that all katana shared.

His hand reached out and he winced as he drew closer, expecting the sword to slam into his palm again but it simply waited this time, a normal sword except that it was slowly being regurgitated by a twenty foot python. He hand paused just before touching it and he could hear a faint whisper in the air. _Too late to back out now, Marumaru. _

Mastering himself he took the sword hilt firmly in his hand and pulled it the rest of the way from the snake. At first there was nothing and then it hit him. Whispering, as silent as a shadow's shadow but more persistent and insidious than a river.

He didn't know he was sitting until Tsunade said something and he was forced to look up to see her. The sword was now in both his hands and out in front of him, the blade warping and reforming in his hands faster than his eyes could follow. The whispers turned to shouts that echoed inside his skull, all vying for attention at once.

It kept on until he thought his head would explode and then a little longer. Finally it built to a crescendo and then slowly died down until he realized he was muttering to himself and stopped. Tsunade asked him something carefully and he turned towards her, his eyes still glazed, "I'm...ok I think. It's just a little weird." He sighed, this time not having to fake it. "This is troublesome."

* * *

Ibiki made his evening rounds. It was one of the few things that he never delegated. The responsibility had been placed with him and he would not give the Hokage her morning report without first having seen the state of the prisoners himself the night prior.

His read his personal report from a file that his assistant handed him as they walked.

"The Uchiha is unchanged?" He asked, still not looking up. He could walk these halls blindfolded and drunk if had to.

"Yuhi Kurenai expressed some difficulty placing a lasting genjutsu on the genin and was uncomfortable releasing him." Ibiki's eyebrows rose a fraction.

"That's interesting. The sharingan is likely helping him but to stump a jonin like that is still impressive." Generally at this point he would reduce their food intake and isolate them but he had his orders regarding the Uchiha. "Double his room searches."

His assistant, a very thorough chunin named Tasha nodded and made a note in the file as Ibiki handed it back to her.

"Dozu is unchanged, the structuring is still in place." She said as he perused the file. He made only a cursory glance at it and then handed it back.

The last was of the most interest to him. "Tayuya is still resistant to structuring but the squad's conclusions, and I agree, are that we've extracted ninety to ninety five percent of all tactically pertinent information."

He nodded at this, he'd concluded the same. "It's always that last bit that is the most interesting." He said absently. "Water only, I want to reduce thought freedom until the structuring sets."

Tasha took the file back and put the stack under one arm, "Yes, sir."

They rounded a corner together and they both broke into a run as they saw the two unconscious shinobi outside the outer door.

"No!" Ibiki grunted at her sharply. "Get an anbu squad in here and then inform the Hokage." He continued forward as he heard Tasha curse and turned around and bolted back around the corner.

* * *

Tsunade wasn't one to keep her thoughts to herself but when the chunin Tasha explained that the prison had been compromised she grit her teeth and shut her mouth. Shizune was on hand and followed her after she'd found two other anbu squads to accompany them. It was a short walk to begin with but she made it in very little time.

As she neared the reinforced oaken doors Ibiki stepped out, wiping blood off his hands on a handkerchief. His face was a mask but Tsunade had known him as a genin, his posture was rigid and he avoided her eye though she knew he must have seen her by now.

She walked up to him, keeping her eyes firmly locked on his face and away from the blood on his hands. _Just...don't think about it. _She told herself. He began speaking before she could ask the obvious. "Both sound nin are gone as well as the Uchiha."

Tsunade shouted something very unladylike and punched a nearby wall causing it to buckle slightly and crack. "I'll rip that little traitors heart out!" She seethed, beginning to pace.

Ibiki shook his head, "We've never had an escape, Hokage-sama. The Uchiha has left with the other two but he was not the means of their escape." He gestured at Shizune. "There are four men in there, Tasha can escort you if you don't know the way. Mild concussions and minor lacerations if you could see to them."

Shizune's eyebrow rose but Tsunade nodded to her and she left, following the red haired Tasha.

Ibiki stepped closer and leaned towards the Hokage, "The guards described the technique that was used." He said, his face carefully neutral. Tsunade eyed him warily.

"It was a shadow bind, Hokage-sama."

"Bullshit." She said, not actually meaning for it to escape her lips. Ibiki seemed to notice this was a knee-jerk reaction and waited for her to continue. "Have Kakashi and Hiashi examine the survivors, they should be able to tell if they're under a genjutsu. If someone is trying to frame the Nara clan we can rule that out quickly."

Ibiki shook his head, "I've disrupted their chakra myself, Hokage-sama. There is no genjutsu at work. Their perception of the event is not tainted in that manner."

She cursed colorfully and turned to Ibiki after a moment, "Any description?"

Ibiki took a deep breath and stared directly in the Hokage's eyes, "Shikamaru."

* * *

"I'm Shikamaru and I'm the reason you..." He said pointing at Dosu, "...are missing an arm, you..." He nodded to Tayuya, "...were captured and you..." He said, finally staring at the Uchiha, "...are being treated like a missing nin." He didn't bother to witness their reactions to this information but only continued.

"From now until I release you, I am the snake's fang, you will obey every tiny thing that pops into my head." Tayuya and Dosu, the latter looking somewhat dazed still, both knelt in front of him.

"As you command, Shikamaru-sama." Tayuya said for the both of them. She glanced at Sasuke and slapped him on the leg, "Kneel, dumbass! You're the one that wanted to come." Sasuke rounded on her, ready to fight.

Shikamaru shook his head, "I don't care about that." He pointed at Tayuya, "Chunin, jonin?"

She dipped her head and spoke, "Both, Shikamaru-sama. With the second stage of my curse seal I can function at a jonin level." He didn't have time to wonder what the hell a curse seal was and how it increased her fighting abilities.

"Dosu looks pretty worthless. I'd leave him behind if I could but Orochimaru wants to see you all." Dosu glanced up when he heard his name and both looked sufficiently terrified at the mention of the sanin. They had failed in their primary missions and forgiveness was not one of Orochimaru's strong points.

_I still need to find a way to replace Sasuke...I can't just take him there to die._ "Alright, we're traveling quickly and quietly and we're heading to the Oto border. I've laid a false trail east, out of Konoha but given who we actually have with us, they're going to eventually head that way. Dosu will be in front, then Sasuke, myself and then you." He said, nodding and Tayuya.

He felt the crawling on his skin and lifted his arm, his sleeve parting as a snake slithered down his arm. _I hope I never get used to that. _He thought angrily. Taking the snake in hand it went rigid and flattened, forming the Kusanagi in a flash.

The Sound nin's eyes widened but Sasuke only smirked at him, thinking it some sort of trick. He was sick of the thing sliding over his skin under his shirt and preferred to carry it for a while. "Let's go."

* * *

Tsunade dropped one of the seven letters that had been found in Shikamaru's home. All but one were goodbyes to various people or instructions for the Nara clan. The last, addressed to her, was still in her hand and she read over it again.

_Hokage,_

_I've freed the sound shinobi as well as Sasuke...or failed at it and am dead. Orochimaru and Kabuto killed my father and they've taken my mother._

_Their conditions for her release are the sword and the three nin. I know, as well as you, that it's unlikely she's even still alive and even if she is that they'd honor their bargain when she's seen their base but I do not plan to give them any of the things they asked for either._

_I'll try to replace Sasuke and send him back. Whether he agrees to this is another question. The two sound nin I'll have to kill. My apologies to Ibiki but hopefully he was able to extract the majority of what they had knowledge of. _

_Regardless if my mother is alive or not, I have no delusions of rescuing us both. Once she is safely gone I will perform seppuku and take Kusanagi with me in death. _

_I wont go into the plans I enacted to get to this point but I will outline their impact. _

_I was the reason for the recent economic downturn. Separate filing rooms with restricted access will resolve any future issues. In my safety deposit box, of which you are now an authorized party, you will find promissory notes in the amount of sixty two million Ryu as well as my family's share of the Nara estates. I only ask that you give the remaining clan members the option to buy out your interest in them._

_I know it's unlikely you can honor this request but I would ask that you do not attempt to follow me. _

_Nara Shikamaru_

"Gods damn Orochimaru." She said sadly, staring out of her window and up at the Hokage monument. Already workers had begun on her own likeness but she barely noticed as she tried to imagine what the Sandaime would do. _Do you trust the Nara or not? _That's what it really came down to. She trusted everything in the letter, even if she didn't they had explored the deposit box as well as found Shikaku's head. The question was if she trusted his assessment as well as his ability. _Are you willing to sacrifice a teenager for something you should have handled years ago? _She rubbed her temples and turned away from the window, taking the room in with her gaze.

"Do we go or not?" She asked of the gathered jonin.

Asuma growled and stepped forward, "Of course we go, what the hell kind of question is that? He's cleaning up your damn mess!"

Tsunade swallowed her anger at this. _He's just frightened for Shikamaru, cut him some slack. _"I know why we should go, Asuma. Orochimaru is no fool though and this could be an attempt to weaken our defenses for a tracking mission."

Kakashi stepped forward next to Asuma, putting a hand on the larger man's shoulder, "Very few of us have trained for the glory, Hokage-sama. We've trained to protect the people important to us." He smiled in his own annoying way, his eyes slitting as the grin took over his entire face, "If we can't protect our young though...there's little reason to keep at it."

There was a general grumble of agreement and Guy nodded grimly, "I agree with my rival. Orochimaru is also an ongoing threat until he's been dealt with. In this case we'll get two birds with a single stone."

Tsunade nodded, knowing that this would be the reaction. She needed volunteers though and she was loathe to send anyone against her former team mate as an order.

"I'll put Kakashi in charge of the planning, you have two hours to figure out who you're taking and how you're tracking them." She turned, catching Kakashi's eye. "I'll be going as well."

_

* * *

_

_Read, review and (hopefully) enjoy. _

_Anbu-Dave_


	10. Chapter 10: Smoke and Mirrors

Kagemane Complete

Chapter 10: Smoke and Mirrors

Tsunade's fingernails dug into her palms as she surveyed the human wreckage in front of her. _So much wasted talent. _She thought, trying to fight back tears. _He has so much to pay for... _She tried to imagine bringing all of Orochimaru's crimes to justice and realized that there was no justice to be had. He'd killed hundreds in his quest for power. At a certain point you were just trying to stop him from doing more damage.

She couldn't kill him for every innocent life he'd taken and he was too dangerous to try to capture. No, she'd kill him or someone else would...in a battle that meant little or nothing to all those broken lives he'd left behind. _Hiruzen-sensei was right, it's always the next generation that pays for our mistakes. _

She'd ordered Kakashi to cover their wounds, she hoped that it was taken as a sign of respect but really she just couldn't function at the sight of their now-stilled blood.

Tsunade kneeled down next to the first of the three bodies, Yoshino's eyes were already close and a small smile was on her lips as though she knew a secret. Tsunade hadn't known the woman personally but after hearing Shikaku's constant bellyaching about his wife she felt like she had. Strong yet soft. A kindred spirit and now dead. Never coming back.

"Rest well, Nara Yoshino your fighting is done and you've joined your ancestors, please think fondly of us." She murmured, hoping to set the woman's spirit at ease.

The next body she had little need to examine. The mutation that it had undergone was still apparent and it would be taken back to Konoha to study the seal that had been placed on it. Tsunade's eyes weren't focused as she studied the ruin. She was only trying to summon the will to move on to the last body. Ibiki had identified the female as Tayuya, one of the two sound nin that Shikamaru had released from prison.

_Oh how I wish the last was the other sound nin. _She thought, blinking back tears in her eyes, the last body was burning in her peripheral vision. _There will be no parents to notify. _She thought, her mind trying to find some sort of good to be found.

She walked numbly to the last body, lamenting her life's numerous failures and then knelt on the ground at the boy's side. _I'm sorry, I didn't mean for our mistakes to become your burden. I will make sure he's made to pay, Shikamaru._

The Nara boy's eyes were open wide and she could still see the terror he had died in. Slowly and very gently she closed them. Her own eyes closed as her hand slide over the speckles of blood on his forehead. Kneeling across from her on the other side of the body was Asuma, his great shoulders shaking as he wept openly for his fallen student. Tsunade had known they were close, even before his outburst in her office and the Sarutobi was taking it hard.

If anyone saw the tear sliding down her cheek as she stood they made no mention of it.

* * *

THREE DAYS AGO

"How do you know they'll know where to go?" Sasuke asked, looking annoyed. Shikamaru was beginning to think that Sasuke had two speeds, annoyed and condescending. He'd seen little else out of him in their three day flight from Konoha.

Shikamaru shrugged, "They wont know exactly but this meeting place is stupid, to put it lightly." Tayuya looked up from cleaning a rabbit, startled. They all knew that it had been commanded by Kabuto and it was unheard of for someone to speak ill of any decision that the Yakushi made. "Oto has a fairly short border. Even a regular person can walk it in two weeks. Unless I...convinced them otherwise, this will be their second place to look."

Shikamaru ignored the serpent that hung over his shoulders. Having the snake constantly touching him was annoying but it was less troublesome than having to hold the sword all the time. _**You said you prefer this. **_

That was a new development with the sword. The numerous people that had wielded it before him had imbued it with a semblance of a personality. At the moment this took the form of a mental link. It had manifested during the second day of their trip and it had almost knocked him out of a tree.

_**I don't need to stay in constant contact. **_The sword relayed to him. He called it a voice but it was more of a feeling, there was no voice in his head...it was simply a sort of knowing. The way he knew his toes were cold or that his ponytail was in place.

_It's painful otherwise. _He thought, remembering the first time they'd tried to separate. The pain became greater the further away they were from each other but even just a handbreadth was enough to cause a dull ache.

Dosu eyed the snake warily and scooted a little farther away from the Nara.

After finding out that the blade had a personality he had thought that there would a battle for superiority but the sword seemed to bend to his will readily, even forming opinions of things based on his observations of them.

It grew agitated easily at the Oto-nin and had even lashed out at Sasuke when Shikamaru had entertained the thought of placing the Uchiha in a Kagemane just to shut him up for a while. The normally reticent Uchiha had found himself in a position that he knew little about and around people that didn't care to explain it to him. As a result he was now a plethora of questions.

For his own part, Shikamaru was not pleased with keeping a fellow leaf shinobi from all the pertinent facts but until he could come up with a plan to get Sasuke away, there was little to discuss and he didn't want to alert the other two that there was something amiss.

Sasuke was the first differing of opinion that he and the sword had. It was resolved when the sword backed down so quickly that Shikamaru thought he was just being placated. As far as he could tell it was a thing of complete id, ruled by whim and emotion but also completely subservient to him. When he felt something, it latched onto this and built on it until he felt something else, switching quicker than he thought sanity would allow.

He had to be careful not to allow those emotions to reflect back to him but it wasn't difficult once he recognized the difference in thought patterns. He just had to pay attention more than he was used to. _**Not it, 'her'. **_

It also considered itself female. The last wielder, Orochimaru's current body, was female. It was the only reason he could come up with for it's..._**her**__..._insistence on the differentiation. _You're a sword, you can't get much more phallic than that and a snake is androgynous._

_**At your age you'd have to drop your pants to prove you're male. It's easier to be referred to as your correct gender though. **_He couldn't argue with that.

She also didn't appear to have or care for a name. _**Why would I? When I speak it is only to speak to you, when you refer to me...there is only me. A name is not needed. **_

He gave up the argument after a while, it wasn't that she forbade a name...she didn't understand the concept as he did.

_"I'm unsure what sort of abilities you possess." _She'd learned to differentiate between him thinking to himself and specifically addressing her and they'd developed a dialog shortly after.

_**There are certain things that I will always be but there are some things that you make me as well. **_He thought about this for a moment.

_"What do you mean?" _

_I am bound by the serpent form and can never be made to harm one, they are the one thing in all your physical world that is spared from my edge. I am also poison and will be, even to you for a while._ That didn't seem like a long list of attributes so he waited until it was obvious that no others were forthcoming.

_"What about Orochimaru, would your poison work on him?" _He thought, his face sliding into a scowl. He didn't notice Tayuya looking at him anxiously as she spitted the rabbit and began to cook it. He didn't think he'd have an opportunity to kill the sanin, Kabuto was his only realistic target and he expected to be dead or dying before he ever faced Orochimaru. It didn't hurt to be prepared though.

The sword sent him several images but he didn't understand what she was saying. When they only repeated he gave up and continued on. He wasn't feeling well and didn't feel like repeating himself. _"How do I shape your ability?" _There was no answer though, he only felt confusion from the serpent and turned back to his surroundings.

The fire at the head of Uchiha Madara glowed brightly and Dosu had been sent to ensure that it had enough wood to burn brightly through the night. He didn't want to be anywhere near it if his Konoha brethren showed up so he had set them across the lake where they could see the flame and were close enough to tend it but not so close as to be immediately obvious if anyone else showed up. He had a suspicion that they were already being watched though.

He caught the tail end of a conversation between Tayuya and Sasuke.

"...it's power, plain and simple. Don't be so goddamn dense." She said, turning the rabbit carefully despite the rancor in her voice.

Sasuke stood and faced her, "How does it work though?"

Tayuya checked the meat in the fire and glared at Sasuke, "He gives you the seal and gives you access to a power he found. It's his gift to us. You were to be given one but..." She trailed off, unwilling to state aloud that Orochimaru hadn't been able to find the Uchiha.

"I was locked up for the exams." He finished for her, staring at Shikamaru.

Tayuya looked between the two, "That'd explain why your skinny ass wasn't marked already. I'll give you some advice. When you see Orochimaru-sama beg him to seal you as well. If you don't die you'll be able to take on a Hokage."

Sasuke didn't seem to hear her, he was instead staring at Shikamaru who was beginning to take notice. "You're the reason I was locked up." His voice was quiet and Shikamaru had barely heard him. He could see the gears of Sasuke's mind churning up the problem. If Shikamaru was a spy for Orochimaru, why had he stopped him from placing the curse seal?

"We've all got our parts to play, Sasuke. Trying to figure out mine in all of it is only going to give that tiny little logic-process of yours a headache. I'm certainly not going to explain it all to you, it would be far too troublesome." Tayuya snickered loudly. The rabbit was cooked and she quartered the meat, giving him the first choice. He felt less than enthusiastic about food though and his stomach was cramping.

_**It will be an uncomfortable night for you. I'm building your resistance to my poison. If you nicked yourself with it now you'd die in a little under a minute. **_She explained. _**I was a little surprised to find out from you that your 'Hokage' lasted so long.**_

He mentally reeled at this. _"Is that why he died, the poison?" _

The snake slide up his arm to rest across his shoulders. _**I don't know for sure but as there is no antidote I would say yes.**_

He wasn't sure if it was the poison in his system that made him sick or the revelation that the thing across his shoulders was responsible for the Sandaime's death but he stumbled into the woods and vomited, returning only after he'd completely emptied his stomach of the ration bar he'd eaten earlier.

_**I didn't mean to upset you, I can't help my nature though. **_He ordered her back into her sword form and shoved her out of his mind. Tayuya and Dosu only had eyes for the blade, the former was actually beginning to sweat just seeing it.

He jammed the Kusanagi into the earth until only the hilt was showing and sat next to it, keeping his palm atop it. "It's Kusanagi, Tayuya...not the Yosamu." He said, noticing the beads of sweat on her upper lip.

She chuckled uneasily. "Yes, Shikamaru-sama. Are you feeling well?" She enjoyed living and Shikamaru was becoming pale, trembling slightly and was sweating profusely now. She hated to think what sort of dark work the sword was performing on the former leaf shinobi. She would be getting no sleep that night.

Sasuke scoffed slightly, shaking his head drawing both the ire of Dosu and Tayuya. "Catch the flu, Nara?" He said, glaring at Shikamaru.

Tayuya spoke up before Shikamaru could be bothered, "Let me kick his ass, Shikamaru-sama...I'll beat some goddamn respect into his mouth." She was already standing but he waved her off, the motion taking far more effort than he thought it would.

"He's being annoying but he's still important. Set..." He swallowed, his throat feeling dry. "...a watch. Bring...water."

* * *

Dosu hopped when Tayuya shouted at him. While he had been the team leader for his own team, Tayuya bore the master's mark. Orochimaru didn't enforce his rank structure, he appointed people that would enforce it themselves and he had little doubt that the kunoichi would hesitate to explain their relative positions in the world. Sasuke had put her in a foul mood. _Sasuke. _He spit in disgust.

He gathered water from the lake in a skin and brought it back to the firelight. Shikamaru lay shivering next to the fire, Tayuya looking at a loss as to what to do. He was unconscious now, his eyes closed and his eyelids dancing as he dreamt about Kami knows what. Dosu noticed, in a detached way, that his hand was still clasp around the Kusanagi.

Whatever malady was afflicting their 'leader' was taking a heavy toll. The boy thrashed and muttered becoming so violent that Tayuya actually had to grab him to keep him from burning himself in the camp fire. They had placed the fire in a pit to keep the light from going far. The sword in his hand became an adder, sleek and fiery in the light and slid up his arm. Shikamaru lay on his back, his head resting on Tayuya's thigh. She held him under his armpits so that he couldn't roll.

The adder coiled itself on the spy's chest and then rose upwards, flicking it's tongue and swaying back and forth slightly as it's master thrashed under it. It leaned forward, it's unfathomable, black gaze was directed completely on the kunoichi. He couldn't help but notice the wave-form pattern on it's back and wondered again if snakes and sound were, in some inexplicable way, connected.

Dosu shuddered as he saw it's tongue flick out and graze Tayuya's cheek. Her eyes were wide open and unblinking in terror and he saw them begin to water. He could hear her heart thumping wildly as the Kusanagi took it's measure of her.

His hearing was sharp already but he pumped a little chakra into his ears. He heard her whispering, though there was a crackling fire between them. "Please..." She said, swallowing. "...I'm just trying to help him."

The adder swayed in front of her until Dosu thought for sure that he was going to witness her death. Finally it lowered it's head until it rested on one of it's coils. It continued to stare at her but he heard her exhale the breath she had been holding.

_I need that sword! _He thought angrily. _If I kill Sasuke now, my mission will be complete and Orochimaru will restore my arm. _He'd lost his weapon when the Hatake bastard had cut off his arm in order to leave it behind.

_I can blame the information leak on Tayuya, I could hear her screaming even at the far end of the dungeon._ _Orochimaru never needs to find out about my..._ He halted the thought. He wasn't sure if Orochimaru could read thoughts. Sometimes it seemed like he could and he wasn't willing to risk it. _I didn't talk at all. I remained true to our cause, that bitch told them everything. _

_Tonight I'll take it, during my shift. I'll kill them both in their sleep and tell Tayuya... _He thought about this for a moment. _Tell her what? _He pushed the thought away. The important thing was that they both die. Once he held the sword he wouldn't need to tell her anything. She'd fall into place and call _him _Dosu-sama.

* * *

Something touched her, something foreign. It held her around her throat. A few inches higher and she would have seen it's hand...would have cleaved it in two but now it held her. She was lifted away from Shikamaru and felt the tearing pain of the separation. It was something that she had grown used to over the years but she saw the Wielder writhing on the ground in silent pain.

If she went much farther from him, in his weakened state, he would die and she would be trapped in a husk of lifeless steel forever.

* * *

_Shikamaru ran, he could see the receding form of his mother just ahead. He just had to reach her. He glanced behind him to make sure his father, attached by a thick length of chain, was following. _

_Sure enough his father's head bumped along in a bloody trail, the chain nailed to his forehead. He felt anguish tearing at his body as his mother put on a burst of speed, outpacing her flagging son, running far into the distance._

_At his ear a snake spoke, it's tongue tickling him. "Cut it, Shikamaru-san. He's slowing you down." He found a sword in his hand. _

_"He's my father." He argued, still running. He wasn't out of breath but the agony was increasing every second. _

_The snake constricted around his shoulder tightly, "Please...I don't know why he's anchoring you down...release him. We'll both die if you don't."_

_He stopped in his headlong pursuit and looked back at his father. He remembered seeing life in those eyes but now they were just dull sockets. The head's tongue lolled out and there was no hair on it's scalp. He brought the sword around in revulsion and cut the chain free. _

_Almost as if he were the fourth Hokage he was in front of his mother. A dull glow illuminated her features and he saw Kabuto stand up behind her, his face ragged and horrible. "Give me the snake!" He roared, the kunai he held at his mother's throat slipping across her skin just barely, drawing a line of blood. _

* * *

Sasuke watched the prone form of Shikamaru shudder as the snake was taken from him. He could intervene but he didn't see a reason yet, he was curious if the 'jonin' was up to the task. The Nara stood and turned towards Dosu, blinking blindly. He was seeing something but it was definitely not reality. He heard a single word form on Shikamaru's lips and his blood froze, "Mother?" The Nara asked quietly, his voice trembling in fear and barely contained emotion.

He watched as the boy's hands made several symbols. Darkness leapt forward from all around the camp fire, spears of shadow lancing out from the black. The first took Dosu in his remaining wrist and the Oto-nin dropped the snake. The spear of shadow burst out of the other side of his arm in a bloody spray. Two other spears erupted from the tops of Dosu's feet and made perfect arcs, sliding into his thighs, coming back out of his hamstrings and attaching themselves to the ground again, holding him in place. The Oto-nin screamed in pain and outrage.

He watched Shikamaru shuffle towards the Oto-nin dazedly, tripping on a stick, his eyes blank and unseeing. "You killed him..." He said, mumbling almost to himself. Dosu's one visible eye was rolling in fear now and Sasuke saw that Tayuya was on her feet, a kunai in her hand. He doubted very much that she had any thoughts of helping her fellow shinobi though. She was as transfixed as he was.

"Please! I didn't kill anyone." Dosu yelled.

Sasuke watched as Shikamaru's shoulders slumped and the shadows melted away from Dosu. There was still a thick rope of black connecting the two but it was the same Kagemane he'd always seen. Blood dripped from the wounds inflicted by the shadow spears, sliding down Dosu's legs.

_Maybe he'll have mercy on... _But he didn't have time to finish the thought. Shikamaru turned slightly and began walking. Sasuke couldn't hear everything that he said but he did pick up several words a few times, "Sorry..." and "...protect..." It wasn't until Dosu stumbled on the fire ring that Sasuke realized what was happening.

Shikamaru continued on, oblivious to Dosu's shouts. The Nara only stopped walking when Dosu was standing right in the middle of the roaring fire and then turned so that they faced each other. The shouts grew in pitch until Dosu was screaming wildly. The Nara stared at him as if he were a bug under a magnifying glass in the noonday sun.

The fire reached the Oto-nin's bandages and his shouts cut off as he turned into a roaring pyre. After a moment he saw Shikamaru's knees buckle and knew that Dosu was dead. The Nara fell, the shadows snapping back to where they belonged. He wrinkled his nose in disgust when the wind changed, bringing burnt hair and the smell of frying ham to him.

Dosu slumped forward, his head disappearing into the flames.

Shikamaru turned and crawled towards Tayuya who stood, transfixed as the apparition of her death advanced on her. The kunai fell from her numb hands, clattering into the dirt. Shikamaru reached her and she whimpered as he wrapped his arms around her waist, his cheek pressed tightly against her stomach. "...killed him, mother..."

* * *

(FIVE DAYS AGO)

Asuma growled in his throat. _This is going nowhere! _He slapped the table in annoyance. "He's not heading east, damnit!"

"We can't know that, he sent the distraction that way but it would be just like him." This from Ibiki.

Asuma shook his head angrily, "Look, he's getting to your flank, he does this all the time in Shogi. He sent the distraction east...if we head east, what's the farthest away he could move?"

"West." Kakashi said, immediately. The Copy-cat nin's books were gone, if out of a need to concentrate or fear of Asuma's wrath, no one knew.

"So he's going north or south." Asuma glared at the gathered jonin. "What's to the goddamn north?" He said, his finger spearing the Oto border. "Look, he's sending us a message. We have his letters, we have his direction...I'll bet my estate that if we comb the woods to the north we'll find his trail."

The gathered jonin had been looking to Kakashi for direction, everyone could see that Asuma had been emotionally compromised and though he was technically not allowed to participate in something he had such a stake in, no one felt the need to bring it up.

Asuma paused just long enough for the impatience to build in him again and then took the cigarette in his mouth and threw it angrily at the wall. Kurenai placed her hand on his shoulder and after a few deep breaths he calmed visibly. "I'm sorry, I know we all want the same thing." He said, looking back at Kurenai and then at Kakashi.

"Why didn't he bring this in front of the Hokage?" This from Hayate. "It would have been the perfect opportunity to trap Orochimaru if we knew ahead of time where he'd be. This has every warning sign of a trap."

Even as Kurenai tried to pull Asuma away from the room he rounded on Hayate with a roar, a trench knife in his hand. Hayate spit the senbon in his mouth at the rampaging Sarutobi.

Kakashi knocked the senbon aside and Tsunade, who had just entered the room, lunged forward and grabbed Asuma's wrist in her hand, stopping him easily. "Knock it off, both of you." She said in an offhand manner. "Asuma, if you can't hold it together I'll break your legs and leave you here." She waited for Asuma to calm himself. He nodded and made a quiet apology before she released his wrist. "That being said, this may be a trap but it's not a trap of Shikamaru's design."

Ibiki chuckled darkly, "Which means we might actually be able to survive it."

Tsunade snorted and spoke to the gathered jonin, "He didn't bring it forward because we..." She glared at the shinobi around her. "...that's all of us, failed to see Kabuto as the traitor he was. If we failed to see him, who else could have slipped in?" Tsunade shook her head sadly. "How could he come to us? We failed them all. We created this situation...failure after failure until one of our genin paid the price. Whatever victories we claim from now on are just atonement."

Asuma pointed at the map, "I...respectfully request we send...two teams if we can't decide. One north and the other as you see fit."

Tsunade stared at him intensely and normally the scrutiny would have produced an awkward smile from him but now he only met it with his own grim stare. "No." She said, speaking to them all, her eyes still fastened on the Sarutobi. "Just one team...heading north."

Tsunade straightened up, her jaw tightening. "Who's on the team?"

Even the two chunin at the door tried to volunteer.

* * *

Tayuya tried to rub the grit out of her eyes as the sun rose. She hadn't been wrong, there had been no sleep for her that night. The monster in her lap had finally calmed down enough to doze lightly, his hands were still loosely wrapped around her waist and his head rested on her stomach. His fever had broken during the night and he no longer looked unhealthy. The Kusanagi was curled around his neck, a terrible necklace that stared at her throughout the night. It didn't seem to need to sleep and while those black eyes were on her she decided that she didn't want to sleep too much either.

_Fucking Kabuto, this guy's cracked and I'm probably going to be the next log on the goddamn fire. _

She felt the Nara stirring under her he turned slightly to look up at her. She could see that while she still wouldn't classify him as sane, he wasn't seeing things that weren't there anymore either.

"Water..." He said, after taking stock of his surroundings. He was quiet and his voice was ravaged by the fever he had endured but he looked much healthier now.

Tayuya's heart leapt into her throat. "I'll get it myself, Shikamaru-sama." She said, sweat forming on her forehead. _Kami I don't know what's friggin' worse, him awake or half asleep. _She helped him to roll over and propped him against a log.

* * *

His first thought upon waking was that it was all just a long, horrible dream. He had fallen asleep on his mothers lap like he used to when he was a child and had just imagined it all. When he looked up to see the Oto-nin's face he was too crushed to feel embarrassed about the situation.

As he lay there against the log he saw Sasuke staring at him, a mixture of fear and hate on his face. _Kami I hope that idiot never has children. Those brats wont even be able to squirt a fart out...way too uptight._

Still, now was as good a time as any. Tayuya was gone and he couldn't see Dosu anywhere. He gestured for Sasuke to come closer and with much effort sat up. The black-eyed boy approached him cautiously. As soon as he was close enough Shikamaru began talking quickly and Sasuke leaned closer.

"We've only a minute or so before Tayuya or Dosu gets back..." _Where is that guy? _"When we meet up with Kabuto, I'll give you a signal...I don't know what...when you see it, just run. Head back to Konoha and tell them what happened. They want me alive so you don't need to worry about me." He'd seen the last Uchiha move before, with Kabuto's attention focused on the last of the Nara firstborn, he should be able to get away. _I'll be giving Kabuto a run for his Ryu by then anyways. _

Sasuke only nodded, whether in understanding or agreement he didn't know and it would have to do. Tayuya walked into the clearing a few moments later, a skin of water in her hands.

With nothing to do but wait he recovered his strength quickly, both Tayuya and Sasuke were forced to hunt. His hunger was insatiable and after three fish, two quail and a handful of small potatoes he was finally full.

_Chouij would be proud. _He thought, rubbing his stomach. It would have to do for a last meal.

_Who is Chouji? _Shikamaru grit his teeth in annoyance.

_"Stay out of my head, snake." _ He sensed confusion but the images stopped. He only had to endure her for another day. _Then we'll both be dead._

_"Do you want to die?" _She asked, tentatively. She'd never disobeyed him before but he could tell that it hurt her to do so now. He tried to ignore his revulsion for her.

_Of course I don't want to die. _The reply was terse but already he could see why she had asked.

_"Then why do you plan to?" _In some things the sword was worldly, in others it was like he was talking to a child. It was both frustrating and refreshing and if he could get past the fact that she had killed the Sandaime he might even allow himself to think about it. As it was he replied bitterly.

_I wont be second guessed by my equipment. Be quiet. _Was he planning to fail by accepting his fate? It wasn't his innate sense of laziness that kept from exploring his options...he just didn't think he had any. Orochimaru and Kabuto held his mother. She came first in his plans and he'd already beat the problem to death in his head.

Like any good ninja he knew his limits. He could save her and Sasuke, he had a half and half chance at killing Kabuto and if he got to spit in Orochimaru's eye he'd be pretty lucky. None of the scenarios he'd run through his mind had ended with his mother, Sasuke and him still breathing. _Do you expect her to do what you tell her to? _He squashed that thought in his mind. _I'll command her, for all she knows I'm still a jonin. She'll do it._

"Where is Dosu?" He asked and Tayuya went pale.

She bowed slightly, not seeming to know what to do with herself. If the idiot had fled...they only had limited amount of time to track him down and bring him back, provided they could do it at all. He had no idea as to the Oto-nin's abilities aside from what they'd told him.

"Forgive me, Shikamaru-sama. You...killed him last night."

He blinked at her, "Excuse me?"

She faced the ground, "Last night, you...did something with his shadow and walked him into the fire. That Uchiha asshole tried to move him out of it but you stopped him." She said, in an effort to draw attention from herself. His gaze shot over to the fire and saw that while the majority of the Oto-nin had been consumed by the flames, his skull was still smoldering and one of his feet had been spared from the worst of the flames, only the skin was peeling and cracked. The rest was a jumble of blackened bones mixed in with the wood.

_**He touched me and I asked you to stop him.**_

Shikamaru swallowed heavily, trying to stop the bile that was rising in his throat.

* * *

Pakun nodded to Kakashi and Tsunade barked at them from the middle of the jonin formation. "So?"

Kakashi looked back with his ever-present bored expression, "Asuma was right, Hokage-sama. They came this way."

All eyes turned to Asuma who didn't appear to care who had been right or wrong. "We're almost an entire day behind them." He said, scanning the tracks, his eyes hard and unreadable. Without further word he launched himself back into the trees, forcing them to follow just to keep sight of him.

* * *

Neji shook his head at Chouji, "Be that as it may, we've been ordered by the Hokage to refrain from seeking out Shikamaru." He paused, eying Shikamaru's former team. Ino stood next to Chouji who was beginning to form a classic taijutsu stance without even realizing it. _Would they attack me? _He wondered, idly. _I would win but not without injuries to both sides._

Shikamaru's absence from their team meetings and training sessions had concerned him very little, it was common for people to break ties when they were promoted. It was necessary for emotionally involved people to delineate the line between leader and led. He had actually looked forward to Shikamaru's return upon which he hoped that the Nara would reign in Ino as Asuma seemed either incapable or unwilling to do so.

Ino had expressed concern that _he _had allayed. Concern that Shikamaru was in some sort of trouble. _I was too sure of my eyes to listen to her words. _He thought, bitterly. He had been so sure that Ino, while agreeing that she was most definitely their strongest weapon, was completely outclassed by his own perceptive capabilities that he'd refused to listen to her warnings.

Her superior experience with the Nara coupled with their parent's obvious friendship should have put more credence to her words in his mind but he'd discounted her as he had so many others and she'd proven him wrong once again.

_It is not a pleasant realization, knowing that you are better suited as the hammer rather than the hand that wields it._

Still, the Hokage had given her orders and while he took great pride in admitting when he was wrong, this was not one of those times. Failing to interpret signs was one thing, there could be no interpretation of an order.

He had been commanded and as galling as it was, a hammer struck where it was guided. The problem lay with the shinobi in front of him. He was their leader while Shikamaru and Asuma were not present but they did not hold him in such high esteem as to prevent them from questioning his orders regarding this particular situation.

_Only a weakling refers to a higher rank when explaining orders. I'll succeed or fail without invoking the Hokage's authority._

"It's...my fault that he has gone. Ino was correct in her assessment of his altered behavior. I will take full responsibility for not reporting her concerns. We will not be pursuing Shikamaru." He met their glares and pointed to the north.

"I do not see a problem with following our sensei though. If he happens to be looking for Shikamaru then it is unlikely the Hokage has ordered him not to." As he spoke their faces broke into grins and he heard the Akimichi cracking his knuckles.

"Konohamaru!" Chouji barked over his shoulder. He pulled the strap of the iron-banded log off of his shoulder as the Konohamaru corps appeared from around a corner, standing at attention.

"Chouji-san!" Konohamaru gave a quick salute and waited for Chouji to speak.

The Akimichi handed the log over to the three, it took all three to hold it and even then Neji could see a slight tremble in their arms. "Keep her safe. I'll be back for her in a few days."

The Corps left at Konohamaru's command, their leader yelling cadence, "Hup hup hup!"

"Speed is going to be an issue with us being so far behind." Chouji explained, grinning at Ino.

Whether by chance or by unconscious design, the three were ready to travel already, light packs laying on the ground in front of them. Neji signaled them into a traveling order, Neji in front then Ino and finally Chouji.

* * *

Shikamaru brooded. There was no other word for it. He'd never killed anyone before. There'd never been a reason for it. Any fool could kill. Capturing without killing was much harder. Now he'd killed without even knowing about it.

It seemed like the worst sort of murder to him. Not only had his opponent been unarmed and crippled, he was also under his command. Worse still was that he couldn't remember doing it. As if killing someone was as easy as rolling over in your sleep. It garnered no more thought than breathing. He shivered and drew up his knees. _Could have been a chef. _

_**I don't understand. He attacked us...he died. Why do you feel remorse? **_

_Death is an inevitable part of being a shinobi but that doesn't mean it should become an autonomous function. _He replied, thankful for once that he had someone to confide in. _Killing should be a weighty decision made when all else is impossible. _

_**You're contradicting yourself. **_She continued, showing him the plans he'd made over the last week. _**You mean to kill Kabuto no matter the cost for no other reason than he wronged you. **_

He began to protest in his mind but stopped. The sword was not baiting him, it was simply showing him what his emotions were hiding from his intellect. _I will die tomorrow. I can't imprison him for interrogation, killing him is the next best option. _

_**We. **_The sword corrected, sounding faint.

He turned his head to look at the snake on his shoulder, quirking his eyebrow at it. _Excuse me? _He asked, not quite understanding.

_**We are going to die, not just you. **_

He stood, ending the conversation. It was still early and he was famished. He ate his last ration bar and dreading another inward monologue with the monster he was now saddled with he turned to Tayuya. "So, Tayuya. Tell me about yourself."

Tayuya spared a glance at Sasuke who had returned to his usually taciturn self once he'd exhausted his curiosity. "I'm not sure what you want to know, Shikamaru-sama." She said, ducking her head slightly.

"Where are you from?" He asked, rifling through his pack for another ration bar. _No use rationing them now. _He found a smashed one at the bottom of his bag and took it out. They tasted like cardboard but they were surprisingly filling and had most of what you needed for a day of strenuous activity.

* * *

"Iwa." She said, not quite looking at him. He wondered and not for the first time, what it was that made her so afraid of him.

"How'd you end up with Oto?" He asked, finishing off the last of his ration bar. His teeth ached from chewing on it but at least his belly was full now.

She stared into the fire and poked it violently. "My parents were blacksmiths, I think. One day the Mist Village invaded and killed them both." She sighed and glanced back at him. He had stopped fidgeting with his backpack and was now carefully staring at the fire in front of him.

"Orochimaru found me, I was still in the shop. I'd been there for days. He said I had survived by..." She shook her head. "Anyways, he took me in and made sure I was trained. When I showed talent he marked me."

Her face was distant. "I found those bastards after I was marked, I cornered them in a village east of here, down the coastline. They were on an escort mission. I killed all three and I killed the guy they were escorting." She smiled blandly into the fire. "Orochimaru-sama told me where to find them. He knows what it means to have a score to settle."

Shikamaru thought about this for a moment. "Is that why you follow him?"

Tayuya voice sharpened, the first time he'd heard her temper aimed at him during the entire course of their flight from Konoha. "I follow him because there's no bullshit with Orochimaru-sama. What you see is what you get. He took me in because he saw strength. He didn't see a boy or a girl, an Iwa or a Kiri nin. He didn't chastise me when I killed the people that killed my parents and he doesn't care how I get a job done."

She glared at him from across the fire. "All he asks of anyone is obedience."

Shikamaru grunted. "That seems like a lot."

Tayuya shook her head. "It's nothing like what that dumbass Hokage wanted. He wanted you to think a certain way and behave a certain way. We've all heard stories about his ridiculous benevolence. What's the friggin' cost of all that kindness?" She pointed at Shikamaru. "Guaranteed if you thought about it for a while, you'd find something that he took from you with his self-righteous bullshit."

Shikamaru didn't have to think about it for a while. _My parents. _Hearing the late Sandaime talked about thus was enough to set his blood to stirring but he suppressed it and was pleased to note that the Kusenagi, even in snake form, made no outward sign of annoyance.

"I _choose_ to follow Orochimaru-sama." She continued. "Everyone else wants you to _want _to follow them. It's all just a bunch of brainwashing crap. Everyone believes their cause is the righteous one. With Orochimaru-sama it's nothing like that. He doesn't want my love or my respect or for me to agree with his opinions of things. He just wants obedience. For giving me a life and for helping me get my revenge, I can obey." She snorted. "Hell, that's the least I can do."

Shikamaru took this in, his eyes on the ground in front of him. Neither noticed Sasuke's black eyes glittering in the firelight.

The sky was overcast by noon and a light rain started pattering down on them in the early afternoon. None spoke and even the Kusanagi was unusually taciturn. With Dosu...gone...he decided to get another load of firewood himself and it was then that he saw the three figures standing on a stone outcropping in front of him.

His heart skipped a beat as he locked eyes with his mother. Her jaw was set in a stubborn grimace. Her hands were bound behind her and Kabuto held one of her shoulders. She began to speak and the leaf-spy's hands dug deeper into her collar. She made no outward sign of pain but it stopped her tongue.

He shouted for Tayuya and Sasuke. The third figure was swathed in bandages and while the hair and the build of the figure didn't match what he remembered of Orochimaru at all but the eyes gave the snake sanin away.

"Welcome, Shikamaru-kun." Orochimaru's androgynous voice floated across the stones at him. Kabuto, in an odd display of deference, bowed to him formally.

_**This is the death mark? **_He shushed the sword in his mind, he didn't have time for distractions. Kusanagi slithered down his arm and into his hand, morphing in front of everyone's eyes into her sword form.

"I've done as you asked." He said, gesturing at Tayuya and Sasuke and trying to catch the Uchiha's eye. The black-eyed genin ignored him completely, fixated on Orochimaru.

_Just have to hope he'll be ready to run. _He was sweating freely now and it was an effort to keep his breathing under control.

"You're early." He said, simply. Trying to buy time for his mind to catch up to his surroundings.

The bandages around the sanin's mouth wrinkled as he smiled, "I didn't want a repeat of Dosu with Sasuke."

As Shikamaru opened his mouth to reply Sasuke stepped forward, "I want power." He said simply, his eyes burning fervently.

"Sasuke!" He hissed in warning but the genin payed him no more mind than he did anything else. His eyes were only for Orochimaru.

The sanin chuckled richly as he stared at the last Uchiha. "Kill her and I will grant you the power you desire." He didn't bother to look at Tayuya.

Shikamaru only had a moment to turn around to see Tayuya's surprise morph into pleasure. _She actually thinks he means for her to win. _Sasuke streaked towards her in a red blur and there was a harsh clang of metal on metal. Then they were gone, bounding off into the surrounding forest. Occasionally the sounds of their battle made it back to the four that were left but for the most part, silence ensued.

"Release my mother." He said, glaring at Kabuto.

The silver-haired genin glanced at Orochimaru who shook his head. "The Kusanagi has chosen you as it's next wielder. That complicates this somewhat, Shikamaru-kun." His voice was maddeningly calm.

"I will give it to you once she is released." Kabuto sniffed at this.

"At the expense of your own life? It would probably be more appropriate to say that if you do mean to give it back you don't intend to give it back hilt first."

His mother looked at the sword in his hand and a tear slid down her face though her stoic expression remained unchanged.

"What do you propose?" He asked, the sword at his side. It was relatively light as far as swords went but it still felt like it was going to drag him to the earth.

Kabuto thought about this for a moment. "Neither is a threat, Orochimaru-sama."

He saw his mother's eyes flicker with anger at this. _Just hold your temper a while longer for the love of Kami. _

Orochimaru seemed to be contemplating his options. "Release her, Kabuto. The boy will come with us if he wants to or not. If he is true to his word, so much the better. If not, she can't get far." Before he could say anything Orochimaru's leg came up and flashed out towards his mother. There was a sickening snap as he broke her knee.

Yoshino screamed in pain and fell onto her side, clutching at her now useless leg that bent at an impossible angle. Shikamaru yelled something and lunged forward, forgetting about Kabuto. He hacked downward at the sanin as he neared him only to be stopped with a shoulder jarring clang. Kabuto stood in front of him, a glowing blue kunai held in his hands. _I didn't even see him move. _

"Calm yourself, Nara. It's a temporary wound given the skill of your new Hokage. Give me my sword." Orochimaru said, his eyes feverish.

Yoshino spoke before he could answer. "Not today, you piece of shit." Then lunged upwards and passed her hand over the blade of the fabled sword.

All three screamed almost as one, "No!" But were not heeded. Even as Orochimaru knocked her to the side with a vicious kick in the ribs they could all see it was too late.

Yoshino coughed up a little blood. She took a moment to stop wheezing and then stood, maneuvering herself into position with only a little wobbling and carrying all of her weight on one leg. She held up the three fingers she'd cut on the blade and showed them to Shikamaru.

"I wont be a bargaining chip for my son's life. Don't ever give him the sword." She pointed to Orochimaru with the same three fingers, "Torture him at your own peril, snake. He can take his own life to get away from you and you don't get your sword." Yoshino wobbled unsteadily and Shikamaru rushed to her side. The sword clattered to the ground behind him and immediately turned into a snake again, following after him quickly.

The pain seemed a distant buzz compared to what he faced. Already her face was ashen and her breathing was short. She spoke in a whisper as he helped ease her to the rocky ground. "Stay alive, Shika...everything has an answer. The question is, 'How do I escape?' Get free and find ...a nice girl."

Tears filled his eyes as his mother's breathing slowed and her eyes glazed. Finally her breath gave out and she was gone.

He lay her head gently down and removed his jacket, placing it over her. Behind him he heard two sets of footsteps. _They're close. _Kusanagi filled his hand and he spun, sliding to his feet as fast as he ever had, the snake snapping back into it's sword form and cutting a whistling arc through the air.

The only thing he saw was a pair of amber eyes glittering at him before the world went black.

* * *

Sasuke leapt away from the tree just as it exploded, "Strong but slow, Tayuya. You'll have to do better!" He shouted, trying to force her into a rage. She'd activated her second stage seal and he was now mostly avoiding her summoning technique. _They're being controlled by the flute. _He thought, calmly. So far they weren't fast enough to tax him but if she put no more effort into the attacks than just playing a flute, she could wear him down eventually. He couldn't wait her out.

He heard her return shout even over the crackling wood of the tree falling over. "I will kill you, trash!"

He peppered the area where the voice had come from with shuriken, more to keep her busy than any real hope of striking her.

The Doki, at her command, crashed through the foliage and he darted to the side, barely avoiding a fist that promised to crush him in a single blow.

_She's fast with that flute but she's controlling their every move which means she has to see me to be effective._

He took a handful of smoke bombs out of his thigh holster, glad that they were deep into the forest now where the wind was dampened. He threw the bombs at the largest Doki, the other two were likely bearing down on him right then but he still hadn't seen them. The area was instantly filled with a dark purple smoke, obscuring everything.

_Ok, she can't see you...now what? _He moved and immediately heard a sharp crack as a second Doki crashed to the ground where he had been. He made a single clone and it immediately took off at a run, heading towards the flute music. It wasn't part of any plan but he needed to buy himself time.

PAGEBREAK

Tayuya's fingers blurred as she piped another refrain on her flute. She had seen the clone streak out of the smoke. While she possessed no byakugan or sharingan both of which haled from Konoha, any dolt could see that the clone that had streaked out of the smoke had not disturbed it in passing. She ignored the clone and tried to concentrate on blanketing the effected area in sweeping attacks.

The Doki were not typical summons in that a few solid strikes would not disperse them. It was due to the fact that they had no free will to tie them to their place of summoning. They did not think on their own but she was not worried about the Uchiha trash striking them a few times inside the smoke cloud.

Summoning a sentient creature was always with the caviat that if struck in a manner that would otherwise harm it, the creature would return to where it had been summoned from. Summoning a kunai, however didn't pose the same problems. In that respect the Doki were superior even to Manda. A kunai was only a tool however, not an extra set of hands and while they excelled in durability, they could not act independently.

She twittered a series of high to low pitched notes on the flute, performing an overlapping pattern of attacks that would flush the Uchiha out of his enclosure, all the while moving around the smoke cloud, careful to never stop moving. _He's fast, for trash, can't stop moving. _

She stared at the enveloping smoke for a moment more and then smirked.

* * *

The first explosion knocked the lungs out of his breath, the second was a moment later and almost on top of him. He had thrown his hands up reflexively at the first explosion and it was likely the only thing that saved his eyes as the second blasted through a trunk, flinging bits of wooden shrapnel everywhere. He didn't realize he was airborn until he exited the smoke screen and slammed, back first in a tree. He left a small trail of blood on the smooth bark as he slid down to a branch just under him.

He was still trying to get air back into his lungs when a giant banded club hummed through the air at him. He had just enough time to lean over, falling off the branch before the club took the top half of the tree off with a booming crash.

His lungs were burning and spots danced in his vision before he was finally able to inhale again. He sucked in air too quickly and then coughed, limping away from the falling tree trunk. _Stupid! _He railed at himself. _If she couldn't see me, I couldn't see her and there was no way to dodge any attacks!_

His sharingan had been active for a while now and he was starting to feel the drain. _I need to end this soon. _He took a set of special shuriken from his thigh holster, palming a few in each hand and dashed up the closest tree. He saw a sparkle of polished metal in the sunlight off to his right and pumped more chakra into his legs, turning him into a blur.

He sped up the tree, his feet glued to the bark. Behind him, still on the ground the club wielding Doki crashed through the trunk of the tree. It shuddered beneath him and he felt it tilt crazily even as he ran on. He made the transition from trunk to branch seamlessly. Running upside down now he could see Tayuya in her second stage curse seal, horns sticking out of her head at precarious angles.

_Now! _He threw both sets of shuriken first one handful then the other and felt the wire unspooling from his fingertips. The first set he threw in an arc directly at Tayuya, the second set he threw above her. Taking three kunai in hand he whipped them at the shuriken as they sped upwards. There was a sharp clang of metal on metal as he changed their trajectories and his trap was complete. Silvery wire glinted in the half light.

He yanked on several of the strands and watched as the shuriken attached to them curved inward. The first two bound one of her arms to her side though he could have howled in fury when he saw that she still had a hold on her flute with her free hand. _Need two hands to play it effectively though. _

Another set curved around tree trunks and sped back towards her, gripping her around her waist. There was a sharp twitter from the bound kunoichi and all three Doki descended on him, he dodged and lept, avoiding all their attacks and all the while yanking her back and forth the task was made easier due to the lack of variety her notes could bring but also more difficult from his own unwillingness to let her out of the trap.

The solution to the situation presented itself when the club wielding Doki attacked from above. He pulled sharply on the main line connecting them and lept towards her at the same time. As she passed overhead he heard a sharp yelp and released all the lines just as the club passed threw the air he had just occupied and where he had set the Oto nin.

There was a wet thud and he felt a warmth splash against the back of his neck. Immediately there were three distinct pops and he knew that she was dead. _I didn't kill her! _He screamed in his mind. _She killed herself. I'm not like Itachi. I didn't kill her. _He couldn't bring himself to look back at what had to be a very mangled body and instead let himself drop to the forest floor and walked slowly back to where Orochimaru and Kabuto were.

* * *

TWO DAYS LATER

Asuma picked up the still form of his genius student gently. Tsunade didn't watch, she was already walking. Yoshino and the Oto nin would also be returned to Konoha, the former for burial, the latter for study but she'd already frozen up twice and she suspected that Kakashi had figured out why by now. They had a long and sad trek in front of them as well as a plethora of unanswered questions. Pakun had been unable to find any trace of either Orochimaru or Sasuke for miles around. It was as if they had just disappeared into thin air.

Kakashi had said nothing when she had called a halt to their search. He had found the boy's forehead protector early on but the scent that remained on it was of no use when there was no trail to follow. No one spoke as they made their way ever southward.

* * *

Neji called a halt when he saw the figures on the horizon. They were still a day away from the border but the blond hair of their new Hokage was unmistakable and they were heading towards the trio. They'd meet on the roadway and there was no reason to rush. Chouji and Ino, at first confused for the stop, saw the Hokage and the procession after a few minutes and left at a sprint, despite his orders. When he heard the choked howl of the Akimichi he knew that Shikamaru was dead. The day was wending it's way into night and he began unpacking what little camping supplies he had.

He dug a small fire-pit and surrounded it with stones. The fire was easy to start, there was enough deadwood to make it easy. He had taken a rabbit at midday and now cleaned and spitted it. It would be a meager meal split so many ways but he wasn't feeling particularly hungry and he knew that Ino and even Chouji wouldn't feel like eating either. He moved about the growing campsite with no wasted movement. By the time the Hokage and her entourage arrived the fire was warm and crackling and several logs were set up to sit on around it.

No one thanked him, no one said anything. Chouji wiped at his red eyes and walked off into the woods with Ino on his heels. Perversely he was glad that the Akimichi had chosen to hide his display of emotion from the rest of them. Neji felt numb and that was as it should be. How he _should _feel. Shinobi didn't cry for lost comrades. They honored them by living well and fighting on. Tsunade turned to him and spoke. He remarked, in a detached way, how hollow her voice sounded.

"I told you not to follow." She didn't seem angry, or even particularly interested in his response. The last thing he wanted to do was quibble the difference between her orders and what he had concocted to circumvent them. Not with Shikamaru's body just beyond the firelight, guarded by the last Sarutobi.

He bowed to the Hokage, "Yes, Hokage-sama."

* * *

Jonto activated the second stage of his curse seal, his breathing coming fast and harsh. _They're all dead! _He was one of the last now. The purge had started two days ago, it was a periodic 'cleaning of the closet' that pitted all of Orochimaru's test subjects against each other in a huge battle to the death to determine what experiments had been successful. He was tired and running on adrenalin alone. The last five had banded together when they realized it was the only thing that had stopped them disappearing one at a time. His eyes were wide open but the dim, underground citadel that Orochimaru had chosen as one of his test sites only had enough light to make you realize how dark it was. Dim shapes flowed past him and he winced as his already bruised shoulder slammed into a rough hewn dwelling.

They were locked in until only one remained. _That Karin bitch will let him know when there's only one. _He spat in his mind, she was the key to this whole barbaric exercise. He'd killed twelve himself but he wanted to _prove _himself to Orochimaru-sama. There was no other way out of the Hole. You impressed Orochimaru or you died, forgotten to everyone. _I just need to get into a cul-de-sac with a good choke point. I'll draw him out, I can wait for days without food._ His head turned sharply as he heard a sound to his right. He put on an extra burst of speed and careened off another stone hut, this time leaving a deep gouge in the granite from where his cursed seal armor ground into it. "Come out!" He screamed into the black, trying to convince himself as much as whatever pursued him that he was still in control.

He ran from memory alone. As he neared his destination he heard another sound, this time right behind him. He gripped a rock the size of his head and spun, throwing it with tremendous force down the alleyway. He waited, hoping to hear anything but the dull crash of stone on stone that met his ears. He backed into the narrow entrance, his back finally to a solid wall of stone. _He's gotta come down that alley. When he does I'll take him. _

As he tried to calm his breathing he reflected back on the jagged and twisted road that had brought him to such a place. Unlike some of the prisoners and experimental subjects he had volunteered to join Orochimaru's ranks. He had been fortunate enough to see the Sound Four in action. They'd torn through an entire regiment of samurai guards like they were toddlers playing with wooden swords. Each one had donned a horrific visage that had not only seemed to incite terror into their victims but also, exponentially increase their power. The fat one, Jirobo had sucked an entire company of samurai clean of chakra with a single jutsu. He _needed _that kind of power.

Jonto had been removed from his own village when his sister had opened her mouth about his various thefts around the town. It's not like he had been stealing for pleasure. They needed money, they deserved better than to live like peasants. Fire country kept them fed but any man with an ounce of pride wants more than just a handout. So he'd taken things. Quietly when he could, by force if he had to but he was very careful to never let anyone see his face. Or if that failed, to never allow them to pass on the knowledge.

_And I was betrayed by my own blood. _He grumbled in his head, not noticing as a shadow detached itself from a darkened corner of the cul-de-sac. _Stupid bitch payed for it though, she wont open her mouth ever again. _Thus had he found his way to the outskirts of Kirigakure, penniless and branded as a thief. No one would give him decent work and he was run out of every village he stayed in for long. _Never gave me a fair shot after that. _

He'd confronted the Sound Four after they had decimated the regiment. He could still smell the blood and carnage on them and his knees shook but he _had _to have that power. He begged them to teach him their secret jutsus. He was no ninja. What little chakra control he had was not the result of self discipline but rather of necesity. He'd learned a little on the go but if it gave him power such as those four wielded he'd gladly have sold away his family if he hadn't choked the last of it to death himself.

Now here he was, ready to finish the game. To take his place among the greats of the Otogakure. No one would stand against him and he would sit at the right hand of Orochimaru himself, taking all he wanted.

His courage was buoyed by the thought and as he screamed his defiance and contempt for whatever it was that had come to face him he barely felt the razor thin shadow slide between his third and fourth cervical vertebra and sever his spinal cord. He gasped once and fell to the ground limply.

* * *

"What the hell do you mean?" Asuma said, lifting Hyuga Hiashi off the ground with a single hand, the other poised to strike.

The Hyuga, for his part, only seemed mildly annoyed at the outburst. He stared down at the Sarutobi as if he were something to be cleaned off of a sandal rather than the son of their late Sandaime Hokage. "I left little to interpretation." He said, frostily. He glanced at the Hokage who's mouth was hanging open in shock and sighed. He channeled a spike of chakra into his fingertip and tapped Asuma on the shoulder with it. His feet hit the floor softly as Asuma's shoulder seized up and his fingers went limp. Hiashi smoothed his robes but did not step away from the irrational Asuma.

_People should know their relative place in the universe. _He thought, acidly. The loss of a few Nara was of little concern to the village as a whole and of even less to the clan leader of the Hyuga.

Asuma ignored his shoulder and looked at the Hokage as well, "That means..." He trailed off and then turned on his heel and shot out of the office before Tsunade could respond.

"Asuma!" She yelled, finally regaining some semblence of self control. It was to no avail, if he heard her he made not concession to it and continued on, heedless.

_This is...distasteful. _Hiashi turned to face the Hokage, a cool mask of indifference on his face once more.

"How do you know?" She asked, gesturing at the Nara's body.

He inhaled subtly and spoke, it was a a soft gesture and would be lost on anyone who allowed their emotions to rule their actions as much as the Hokage did but for a Hyuga it was on the level of rolling one's eyes. "When he...summoned me...I took a measure of him. He had a small cluster of chakra coils at the base of his skull, just there." He said, pointing at the cadaver. "This body doesn't nor has ever had such a formation."

"Oh Kami..." She said in reply.

* * *

He stood over the last one, sword raised. He knew that the man could feel nothing below his neck anymore but he still shuddered in revulsion as he felt the blade slide between his ribs and tremble slightly as it pierced his heart. _**You are too worried about mercy. **_He ignored the blade once again. It was a necessary evil but one that didn't bear talking to. It would keep him alive and that was all that was needed from it. He couldn't help but address the statement to himself though. _The Sandaime knew all about mercy. My parents both suffered his mercy. If I can be, I will be humane but mercy is...incorrect._

He pulled the blade free to the harsh chuckling of the snake sannin and glared up at the small, circular hole in the ceiling where the two slitted amber eyes burned down at him.

* * *

_Took a while on this one. Still dark at the moment but that's life. Hopefully I can get back to the goofy stuff soon. Story is still ongoing. Read, review and (hopefully) enjoy._

_Any comments, questions or whatever can go through the review system or I can be reached at my aim Kagemanesuccess_

_Dave  
_


	11. Chapter 11: Blood and Hunger

Chapter 11: Blood and Hunger

Shikamaru carefully braided three strands of the coarse hair. He'd taken it from the last stage-two, a water jutsu user. He felt around his thigh and winced slightly, the gash was still cold to the touch but he didn't think he'd have any frostbite to worry about and it was seeping blood now which meant the majority of the ice was gone.

He finished the length of hair and made the seals he needed. A needle of shadow detached itself from under him and though he couldn't see it in the wane light he felt it's sting as he carefully held the two sides of the cut and sewed them back together.

_I'd give a finger for a jar of powdered antler. _Some things he rarely thought about any more but being a Nara meant that he had always had access to the best poultices and medicine. Now he was worrying about a minor cut getting infected.

_**There are few infections that can survive your blood now. **_The sword grumbled at him. The poison that ran in his veins was probably the only reason he was still alive. Over the last...however long he'd been in the pit...he'd suffered much worse than a few cuts and infection had never been a problem.

_Doesn't hurt to be safe. _After his initial reaction to the sword having not only killed the Sandaime but also his mother, he had found that like the scorpion and the turtle, the Kusanagi could not be faulted for her nature. It had taken months for them to speak again, months of fighting and killing. Orochimaru never seemed to run out of test subjects to throw against him and it wasn't until he had been nearing the end of the fourth purge that he realized what the snake sanin was doing.

_He was chipping away at my sanity. Still is. _He couldn't really call his dialog with Kusanagi a conversation but it had been enough to keep him from losing his mind. _And it's almost over with. _

He scattered dirt over the blood and took the pants from the body that had ripped his. It was easier than making more thread from hair and his own pants were spattered with blood. He'd made that mistake four times before he had caught on. When your eyes were useless your body compensated for it by sharpening your other senses. This was doubly true for shinobi who could, with training, increase their perceptive capabilities with chakra.

The blood had been leading them to him. He was careful about what clues he left behind now.

All the test subjects were warned before they were given to "The Pit" now and were working together more and more. Sometimes they still killed each other but lately they had been organized into attack squads. He'd killed and killed until he thought he'd drown in blood. The Kusanagi, while a potent weapon, was keeping him sane more than killing his enemies. The darkness is what he used.

It was what he'd been trained in since he was old enough to walk and in the near-black it was all the more potent. The first purge had been the worst. The numbers were seemingly limitless but disorganized. It was bedlam under Orochimaru's sanctum. They'd all been there longer than him and had adapted to the dark already. He'd been reduced to lashing out blindly with jutsu's.

_They're going to get lucky eventually. This has to be the last sleep._

He'd lost track of time quickly. There was no day or night underground and he had no means of measuring hours. He'd survived off of cave moss and the occasional ration bar that he found on bodies. Water was more difficult to come by but he'd subsisted off of what he could scavenge.

That was before he had perfected the drill.

It wasn't a new jutsu, just a different formation of the shadow sewing technique that he hadn't been able to get quite right. It had fallen together when he had made the blades of shadow somewhat elastic. The closest he'd come to death was right after he'd figured out how to make it work. He'd hoped to break free after working for a few hours at the tunnel but soon realized just how far away from the surface he was.

He'd worked almost to the point of his chakra limit and a new group had been introduced just when he had lay down to rest. He'd been more disciplined since then. He drilled only after a purge and only for two sleep periods. The drill was his escape plan but it also served another purpose. He'd drilled a hole in the floor, wide and smooth and had begun to collect what water he could in it.

_The last sleep. _He thought, just before pulling a dead body over him. He felt the Kusanagi curl around his neck. She needed no sleep and was his only sentry. He tried to ignore the smell of the body and ate the last of a ration bar he had found a week ago before drifting off to sleep.

* * *

His hands shook as he felt the drill slip forward. He had hit loose dirt which meant that he was about to burst free. The drill itself was just a thick rope of shadow that was flanged at the end. He couldn't spin it completely around, it ended up destroying itself after thirty or so revolutions.

Instead he'd twist it twice in one direction to get it started and then four times in the opposite. Spinning first one way and then the other. It was slow work but over the last sleep periods he'd averaged around thirty feet per.

_A well placed gatsuga would go a hell of a lot faster. _He thought for the thousandth time. The drill spun for the last time and he stumbled forward. Without thinking about it he released the jutsu.

Light, like he had never seen before seared his retinas. Only the intense discipline he'd built up in the pit kept him from crying out in pain. He clapped his hands to his eyes and the world went mercifully dark again. _**It was the sun...you looked directly into the sun. **_

_That's my bad luck kicking in. I drilled the tunnel at a thirty degree slant. Depending on what time of year it is and which way we're facing, it's either ten thirty or twenty thirty...give or take a few hours on either side. What are the chances I'd end up facing the sun after all that?_

_**We can't stay here. Start walking, I'll guide you. **_

The Kusanagi guided him to the lip of the tunnel while he kept both hands over his eyes. Even a little light on his closed eyelids was enough to cause pain. _How long was I down there for? _The question was rhetorical and she didn't answer him.

_See anything? _He asked tentatively. A cold wind was raising goose-bumps on his skin and he felt the icy sting of snow on his cheek.

_**We're on a mountain, just above the tree line. It's snowy...and bright. You'll need your arms. **_She slid up his cheek and around his eyes, blocking off the light.

He took a moment to fashion a blindfold from the hem of his shirt and tied it under her coil. Tentatively she slid back down to his shoulder and he took a step forward. His foot sank into the snow up to his knee and he sighed.

_**Don't be simple. **_She chided him and he already knew what she was referring to. He made a few hand symbols and felt the shadow under him split and widened under his feet. He staggered under how difficult it was to mold the shadows in the bright light.

_I wont be able to hold this for long. _He lifted his foot back up and hesitantly put weight back on it. The shadow 'snow-shoe' held but already he could feel what little chakra he had left flitting away.

_**It shouldn't be long, the trees are not far and the snow looks thinner there. **_He began walking, his arms out for balance. The Kusanagi corrected him a few times but for the most part it was like walking on a cold street. There were no features to trip over.

He blew on his hands to keep them warm and continued on. It took them an hour to reach to trees. The warmth on the back of his neck from the sun faded in and out as he passed under the trees and he released the jutsu. _I'm not dressed for this. Is the sun rising or setting?_

_**Rising. **_

He exhaled, at least a bit of luck. The exhilaration of escaping was tempered by the fact that not only couldn't he see but that he likely only had a day to live if he couldn't get to a suitable shelter. He dared not make a fire, he doubted he'd ever escape again if they caught him now. _I will not be caught again. _He promised himself. One way or another, he was never returning.

He traveled the better part of the day like that. The Kusanagi guiding him gently and him scuffing his palms when he tripped. Being on the flat snow had been harder on his chakra but much faster and he felt like he was making barely any progress at all now.

* * *

Shikamaru stood at the entrance to a small cave. _I'm not quite sure about this. _The Kusanagi had pointed it out to him. They had made their way beyond the snow-line and while it was still cold, and growing colder by the hour, he was satisfied that he wouldn't die of exposure.

This logic might have been born of the fact that he could barely move now. His stomach was cramping painfully and he had no food left. The cave came with an occupant, as evidenced by the smell. _**It's shelter and food. **_The sword replied peevishly.

Even though the cave was flooded in shadow, he didn't have the chakra left to randomly start shadow sewing. _Just don't be a bear. _There was a growling huff and he winced. _If we survive, I'm going to work for old man Ichiraku, all the food you can eat and none of the danger. _

_**This is going to hurt, prepare yourself. **_Before he could even respond, the familiar weight of the snake uncoiled from his neck and he heard a soft thump on the ground. A dull ache began between his shoulders. He could actually feel the movement of the Kusanagi as his pain increased. His knees buckled and he fell to all fours, tears leaking out of the corners of his eyes.

Their mental link didn't work if they weren't touching and it had been a long time since he had actually felt the need to speak but his raw voice broke the oppressive silence now. "No more...come back." It was barely more than a whisper, cracked and shuddering with the pain in his body. He began to crawl towards the sword but the pain began to ebb quickly and he knew she was returning.

Only the memory of it remained as she curled around his arm and resumed her normal vigil around his neck. _Don't do that again. _He felt the snake's tongue dart out and lick his cheek.

_**It's a powerful technique, you should learn to cope with the pain. The bear will be dead soon. **_He made the mental equivalent of rolling his eyes. He wasn't about to start practicing pain tolerance in the middle of a flight for his life.

_You bit it? _He asked, standing back up. He was immune to her poison now and it would make little difference in how it tasted but he was always surprised when the sword took initiative. Sometimes she very clearly didn't understand the future.

_**I understand hunger. **_

He left it at that, he was too weary to do more than stumble to the back of the cavern. He had three good kunai left, taken from the last batch of test subjects and he used one now to gut the bear. It wasn't a large one, likely only around a hundred and fifty kilos but as he removed it's liver he knew he wasn't going to go hungry that night.

The moment he took a bite of the bloody trophy he felt energy surge back into his body. He hadn't seen himself in what seemed like years now but he knew that his ribs were showing and that his hair had grown long. He also had a scruff of a beard along his jaw.

The blindfold he'd crafted was beginning to itch but he dared not take it off yet. He'd damaged something in his eyes and peering into the dark wasn't going to help them heal at all.

Somewhat revived he began to butcher the bear, taking the things of value. The entrails he buried outside, the claws and eye-teeth he kept. While not as good as antler powder the teeth did serve as a mild antiseptic and the claws, once cleaned, could be used to restore lost blood if powdered and served in tea.

Both were relatively useless compared to the stocks they kept in the Nara compound but he'd take what he could. It was cold enough now that he didn't have to worry about smoking the meat. He skinned the beast and removed as much meat off the bone as he could in as large of pieces as he could. He couldn't risk a fire to dry the fur but it wasn't as if he was clean himself.

Instead, after placing the meat on a flat rock, he wrapped the skin around him, inside out. The blood wouldn't attract much attention in the cold. The bear fur against his skin was rough and smelled vile but it would keep him warm.

His stomach full for the first time in what felt like an eternity and a warm, if disgusting, blanket left him helpless as sleep crept over him. _Better than curling up with a dead body. _He thought tiredly and then thought no more.

* * *

The next day he placed all the meat he had butchered into the skin and using it as a makeshift bag, he set off again, his blindfold firmly in place.

Despite what his mind told him, he couldn't shake the nagging sense that he'd been discovered missing and was anxious to put as many kilometers as he could between him and the pit. What he really needed was to find a village and get cleaned up, change his appearance and barter for passage to Konoha.

He wasn't going to make it on foot without supplies and he wasn't going to get supplies in the wild. He didn't think he'd make it to Konoha on foot at all. Not with any haste.

He'd tried to open his eyes without the blindfold before the sun had risen and the world had appeared to be a few blotches of hazy color and light amidst a sea of fuzzy grey.

_I've blinded myself_. _Whether it's temporary or...not, the result is the same. I need help. _

His mind rose up with the enormity of spending his life with such a handicap and he shuddered visibly. With a visible effort he calmed himself.

_Tsunade can fix this. I just need to get back to the village. _He rubbed the snake around his neck. _Best you stay like this for a while I think. A blind kid with a good sword would raise too much attention._

He ate a handful of snow on their way down the mountain, following her directions to the best of his ability. Snarls of tough shrubs and overgrown forest made it an exercise in frustration but he was grateful for any distance at all.

By the time midday was upon them his hands were scratched and bleeding in a dozen different places and he'd trudged through so many brambles that his pants were wearing thin around the shins. He forgot it all when he heard the sound of running water though and said a silent thank you to whatever power had placed the stream in his path.

The sword led him to a small stream fed from glacial runoff, likely from the mountain they'd just come off. It was as cold as ice but he took the opportunity to clean not only himself but the meat as well as the fur. When the pelt was a soggy mess he flipped it a few times briskly and it was rid of the majority of the water it held. There were _some _benefits to natural clothing.

He decided to follow the stream loosely. It cut a canyon the further he followed it and he was forced to leave it behind, always keeping just within hearing range, traveling with it to his right. _Where water flows, people live. _

At the end of the trek he felt comfortable enough in the distance they'd covered to make a small fire, not large enough to clean the skin but just large enough to warm him and cook a bit of the meat before he covered the flames with dirt.

_Even if they did discover me missing they'd be looking twenty kilometers from here for a shinobi who can actually see. _He squashed the self pity that rose in him like so much apathy and chewed on the bitter meat quietly.

When he finished he attempted to take the blindfold off again. The darkness parted but of his immediate surroundings he could only guess. Like small dark spots he remembered from looking at something too bright, his vision was pitted with black blobs where his retina had been burned.

_**You are blind. **_

_Yes, thank you. _Enduring it was bad enough without the snake grinding the point home.

The Kusanagi batted his earlobe with her tail in annoyance. _**You keep reassuring yourself that you're blind. You cannot see. Checking will not change that.**_

_I can't be blind. _

**And yet you are. You've wasted enough effort on the subject. You need to learn to adapt. Both our lives hang in the balance.**

His mind ran through a list of things that he'd never experience again mercilessly. Clouds, apple blossoms, streams. After every remembered image the Kusanagi punctuated it with _**"No." **_

Shikamaru squeezed his eyes shut and screamed within the confines of his mind. He remarked, in a detached way, that for as long as he could remember he'd shaped his life around trying to still the constant drone in his head and now he never could. His mind flashed with a vision of him throwing the sword as far away from him as he could.

_**We would die. It would not be quick. **_She explained, sounding neither interested or afraid. _**Rail against it if you must but those things are gone. You are at a common state.**_

He thought about this for a moment. The concept wasn't foreign to him, many philosophers, the sandaime included, believed that all of life existed at a common state. When society and safety were stripped away, all life existed with the same intent. To continue.

Morality, sentimentality, regard...none of it played a part in the common state. It was only through sentient thought and free will that humanity rose above the morally void common state. It wasn't a constant though, anyone at any time could be reduced to nothing better than an animal.

He didn't personally believe in the concept but he admitted to himself that his situation was pretty dire. He replaced the blindfold and lay down on the bear skin.

* * *

Asuma caught a whiff of a familiar, acrid smoke and exhaled sharply. It had taken him months to find some sort of equilibrium after quitting smoking. He wasn't about to get the shakes again from passing too near a bar. He held his breath until he'd gone a block.

He'd originally quit as a means of sharpening his senses. His nose in particular. It would never be what an Inuzuka's could be but he had convinced himself that if he was going to find Shikamaru it was going to be in his attention to detail and detail included scents. Now, with the trail so cold, the continued boycott of his trademark cigarettes was a more masochistic than anything else.

The first two weeks had been the worst. Leaving the village had been hard but he was glad he wasn't around anyone he cared about during those two weeks. Kurenai would have tolerated it gracefully until her temper got the better of her and then he'd have paid.

That was the second hardest thing to give up, his budding relationship with Kurenai. At least for the first two weeks. They'd been on missions that had taken them away for months at a time in the past but it was different knowing that your own inadequacy was to blame.

The cigarettes had been hard and had grown easier. Kurenai had been relatively easy to leave but the more time he spent away the harder it became. _Doesn't matter, I've got to find him. This is my fault. _

He ducked into a small shop, known to dabble in weapon shipments. They didn't create the weapons or even transport them, they were simply facilitators. A middle man. He'd been tracking this particular arms dealer for the better part of two weeks and today was payday. _This one will know something. Something about Orochimaru or Kabuto. Hell I'll even take information on a damn relative at this point. _

It had been impressive when Orochimaru had first vanished. No one had seen him and no one knew where or how to contact him. His continued absence was eerie though. For an entire hidden village to pack up shop and move somewhere else without a trace. Granted it wasn't a particularly large village and it was, to their knowledge, completely made up of shinobi but still, it was a feat.

They'd all received the briefing after his father had died about Orochimaru's immortality technique. Every two years he could use it and from what his father had said, he had to use it every two years as a means of escaping bodies that started rejecting him.

He took a deep breath and plastered what he hoped was a genuine looking smile on his face. It would be best if he didn't have to beat the information out of the man. Too much of that sort of behavior caught up to you in unpleasant ways. He'd try it the nice way. _Once, _he thought to himself. _And then I'll beat it out of him. _

_

* * *

_

"What can you do?" The grizzled voice asked him impatiently. Shikamaru had never had the question posed to him before. At one point in his life he would have answered, _'Anything'. _Now, without his eyes, he was useless as a shinobi, a liability as a worker and not knowledgeable about anything that would seem useful to the farmer.

He thought about it for a moment. "I can play Shogi." There was a derisive snort and he had to place a hand over the Kusanagi to hide it's angry squirming under his tattered shirt.

"That'll just about count as nothing. Don't you have any relatives you could go to? Young fellow such as yourself shouldn't be pigeonholed into beggary." The farmer rubbed his stubbly chin, making a rasping sound.

"They're all dead. What little family I have left is down south. I'm trying to get there but..." His mind was still stuck on his inability to think of a single useful function he could perform. He'd never really thought about his intelligence before but it had never been something that had failed him and it was the perfect machine that was never noticed. He didn't consider himself any more intelligent than his peers, just more circumspect. Where Naruto might wade into a fray first, he'd rather plan and avoid as much physical combat as possible.

_**To avoid things like being blinded. **_The Kusanagi chimed in tartly.

He rolled his eyes but the effect was lost as they were still covered by a dirty blindfold. "I didn't mean to waste your time. I wasn't looking for a handout." He turned to leave but felt a hand fall on his shoulder, stopping him.

The Kusanagi went very still and he gripped her under his shirt as though he were clutching at his chest. _He's not attacking me, relax._

"I tell you what, I haven't had a good game of Shogi in years. If you play a few games with me I'll send you on with a full belly, maybe a good tunic. You look about my sons size."

Shikamaru bowed as deeply as he dared. He didn't know the layout of the room and braining himself on any furniture wouldn't help his situation.

They played three games, all told. The man would explain his move and Shikamaru would tell him where to move his piece. _"It's always three. Even when someone beats you out of the first two. It's polite." _He'd said, in explanation. As good as his word and better, Shikamaru got a hot meal, cleaned up and a decent set of clothes. He could tell they were made out of wool and sturdy, if a bit itchy.

He thanked the farmer for his help and with some dubious directions from the man he was on his way south again.

He had removed his hair from it's pony tail, letting it hang around his shoulders. He'd also, with the sword's help, found an ash pile and did his best to work the grey mess into his hair. When she'd said it would pass at a distance as grey he continued on, now hunching over to appear as an old blind beggar would.

All the distraction and camouflage in the world would mean little if they brought a detector with them, or even Sasuke. He'd be able to tell that the disguise was fake from a mile away. He shook his head out of that thought process. Sasuke couldn't be everywhere and detectors were rare, they'd also have to spread out and that would consume time.

_Worrying doesn't cook dinner. _He followed a road as it wound to the south. He'd debated the merits of being on even ground as opposed to being in the open and then realized that no self-respecting ninja would ever be caught out in the open and decided that was as good a cover as anything.

It wasn't until midday that he started smelling the next town. Smoke and filth rolled into one with a spicy scent of cooking with herbs. He debated going around it but knew that he couldn't. He needed to barter passage. At the pace he was setting he wouldn't be back in Konoha for a month.

He continued on, his ears and nose straining to pick up every nuance of his surroundings.

* * *

Asuma washed his bloody hands in a horse trough outside a small restaurant. The weasel of a man had elected for the less diplomatic of Asuma's two approaches but he'd known little enough. The Sarutobi felt despair and disappointment rising in him like a black wave and pushed it down bitterly. _I will find him. _

He flipped up the collar of his jacket and strolled into the restaurant.

* * *

Shikamaru's hand felt the familiar weight of the Kusanagi and he closed around it. Instantly he felt her slam into her sword form and he brought the blade around in a sweeping arc. He felt the resistance of stage-two body armor and then the flesh beneath. Through the handle he felt everything, a slight twitch as it slid through bone like butter and flesh like water. It was over almost as soon as it began but he hadn't killed the thing yet. Just taken an arm.

Screaming had erupted all around him. He could hear the receding footfalls of the village populace and hoped that there weren't any bystanders around. His hands made the seals, the Kusanagi hanging from his pinky but a small ring at the end of the hilt and the shadows at his feet exploded with serpentine tentacles. It was still light out but even in the dusk it was much easier than it had been on that bright mountaintop. He sent them in all directions, creating space around him.

_I need eyes. _The sword twisted in his grasp and slid up arm to rest on his shoulder. A series of images flashed in his mind, things the snake was seeing. He ran into a wall trying to figure out which one applied to him. The images weren't just sight but hearing and to a lesser extent, vibration detection. It had a very short range and was in all directions at once.

* * *

Asuma stepped back out of the restaurant, a stick of dango still in his hand and chewing idly when the commotion started. He was just in time to see a gray haired figure duck into an alleyway. Three other figures darted in behind him.

What he saw next pushed the man out of his mind. _A curse seal! _No one had seen one for the entire time that he'd been on Shikamaru's trail. The dango fell to the ground and he leapt forward towards the one-armed shinobi. He was rolling around on the ground, blood spurting all around him, making red tracts of mud in the dusty street.

He took out on of his trench knives and pinned the fool to the ground by his remaining arm. He screamed again, an inhuman roar. His teeth were hooked and jagged and only half his body had been changed but Asuma knew that he was dangerous, just the same. "Where's Orochimaru?" He said calmly, after the man stopped screaming.

**"**I'll rip your guts out!" The thing screamed up at him. Asuma could see the fear in his eyes though.

He took out his other trench knife and held it in front of the thing's eyes as he charged it with chakra. "Well you're going to do it without your eyes in a minute. Where is Orochimaru?"

It's eyes flicked back and forth from his to the blade. He did this twice before Asuma's temper got the better of him. He jabbed the knife downward precisely, a quick jab and then back again, barely wetting the blade. The result was much more spectacular though. The shinobi squealed now, writhing under him spitting and shrieking unintelligibly as the remains of his eye dribbled down the left side of his cheek.

"Tell me what I want to know!" He yelled, gripping the back of the things neck, the knife held much higher this time.

"I don't know where he is! None of us do." The knife came down sharply and the thing shut his eyes reflexively. "Wait!" He shuddered for a moment and then opened his remaining eye to see the tip of the trench knife hovering a moment from blinding him completely.

He swallowed heavily and still staring at the knife tip he began to speak in shuddering gasps, "No one knows where he is but if we get the kid we're supposed to meet one of his lieutenants."

"What kid?" It was a reflexive question. His main purpose for the last seven months had been finding his own student but if there was a child in danger of sharing the same fate as Shikamaru he couldn't stand idly by. If it led him to one of Orochimaru's first line subordinates, so much the better.

"The one we're chasing, I don't know his name, Orochimaru calls him his Pit Snake from Konoha'." _Oh god. _Asuma shook the man fiercely.

"Why?" He bellowed, his knife falling from his hands. He clasp both his hands around the mans throat.

"He..." The man gagged and coughed. "...has the Kusanagi." Asuma's breathing went shallow and his vision narrowed. He barely felt the rigid pop as the thing's neck broke under his hands and then he was up and moving. It was only years of intense training that reminded him to take his two trench knives with him.

* * *

_I need a plan. _His shoulder felt dislocated after he'd run directly into the edge of a mud-brick building. He had his uninjured forearm in front of his face and was running down what he hoped was a small game path. He pumped as much chakra into his legs as he dared.

He was heading north again, if he had to fight it would be better to do it on at least semi-familiar countryside that he'd already passed through. _How'd they spot me? _

It made little difference at the moment but he couldn't stop himself from speculating.

There was a roar behind him and he darted to the side, unsure if it was an attack or simply voiced frustration. He knew none of their abilities. The only knowledge he had was that there were three left and they wanted him alive.

_**They will not take us alive, Ho-Rudo. **_

Shikamaru nodded in agreement. _I need an open space. _

_**To the east, there's a break in the trees. **_

He turned and bolted for the clearing. Something crashed to the ground where he had been and he leapt as hard as he could through a small gap. His aiming was off and he clipped his already injured shoulder on the edge of the tree, spinning him around and causing a flash of white light in his head. He gasped in pain as he hit the ground and stumbled groggily to his feet.

_**Hold me level to the ground. You must brace yourself for this, I will become heavy. **_He saw an image in his mind of his swinging the sword in a perfect, parallel arc around him. She became a sword in his hand again and he performed the cut, his feet apart for stability. The sword grew heavy in his hands until it threatened to throw him off balance.

Without thinking about it, he brought a tentacle of shadow up from the tangle around his feet and wrapped it around his waist. He plunged the other end into the ground behind him and flattened the tip of it, anchoring him down.

* * *

Asuma had just enough time to fall on his face as a glimmering blade of impossibly long steel cut a swath through the forest in a mind boggling sweep. After the blade passed overhead the forest was silent.

A small gust of wind filtered through the forest, flexing branches and ruffling leaves. The first tree groaned as it began to topple over and then the rest followed, a cacophony of falling trees met his ears and the earth shuddered under his feet.

_That's the Kusanagi? _He thought, as he climbed back up to his feet. He'd killed one of Shikamaru's three pursuers before the other two noticed him. A second lay dead, cut neatly in half by the sword that had almost taken his own head off. Of the third there was no sign.

"Shikamaru!" He yelled, trying to scan the stumps for his student. If the last of Orochimaru's minions heard him, he made no move to attack. _At least he's not completely stupid. _The second stage of their curse seal did increase their mass and speed but Orochimaru was scraping the bottom of the barrel with this batch and there hadn't been much of either for the seal to work with.

He spotted the Nara clutching his shoulder amidst the ruins of the trees he'd created. If he had spotted the fourth pursuer he might have gotten there in time to block the attack he had lined up against his student.

His legs had just begun to twitch forward as he saw the sound shinobi bound out from hiding in a streak of grey and black. His entire right arm was a single, jagged blade. He tried to cry out when it took Shikamaru in the chest and burst out of his back but nothing escaped his mouth.

His legs were gaining speed now and he was closing on them quickly. Shikamaru folded over the blade and he could see the triumphant grin of the oto-nin as he yanked the blade free. Or at least tried to. The color in Shikamaru's clothes and face faded together and darkened until it was nothing but an unidentifiable black blob. The Oto-nin screamed as the first of the tentacles rose up from the mass and struck him in the shoulder.

Another and another pierced the nin until finally his growing shrieks were cut off as one took him in the throat. Asuma could see him shuddering and could hear the wet gurgle as the last of his breath escaped him. The tentacles stilled and he counted off a perfect sixty seconds before they fell away.

Shikamaru stepped from a conspicuously dark shadow of a tree he had felled. "You're the last, mine as well drop the henge, Kabuto." He said, his voice ragged. His shoulders were slumped and he was breathing hard.

"It's me, Shikamaru." He said, not making a move towards the boy. He could see the blindfold he wore but he could also see the shining eyes of the Kusanagi on him as well.

_Kami I hope that thing hasn't gotten into his head. _There were stories about the evil of the Kusanagi that ranged from sock stealing to baby eating.

"What is my favorite food?" He asked, the tentacles of shadow had stilled but all were pointing towards him. He could avoid them, he thought but if the Nara attacked he would hope that the boy would go for nothing vital.

"Anything made by Akimichi Chiji." He said, smiling softly. "Your least favorite food is anything made by Ino because she lords it over you for weeks afterwards. Your favorite color is the sky, your favorite game is Shogi, which I've yet to beat you at. The last thing you said to me was that you didn't need any more training and the academy is still talking about your prank on Mitarashi Anko."

Shikamaru fell back on his rump with an exhausted sigh and Asuma rushed forward.

* * *

"He's back! He's back!" Chouji yelled through the door of the Yamanaka flower shop.

The girl came out with a confused look on her face, wiping her chlorophyll stained hands on her spotless apron. "Who's back?" She said, looking at him dubiously.

In answer he lifted her off her feet and crushed her to his chest. She tried to say something more but it came out as a wheeze. He set her on her feet and she was about to thump him for good measure when he kissed her, full and friendly on the mouth, knocking what little breath she had left out of her.

Chouji's hand gripped hers and he took off at a sprint. Which, after eight months of training with Guy sensei, was no sane pace. She clutched at his back and he took the hint, grabbing her under her thighs and piggybacking her all the way to the Konoha hospital. A good ten minute walk from the shop in a little under a minute.

They entered the hospital after she climbed off his back and he was practically vibrating as the clerk at the front desk explained what room Shikamaru was in.

The arrived at the third floor and she forced Chouji to walk as she patted down her hair and removed her apron. _No sense in looking a mess. _

They entered the room and saw that Asuma was there as well. They hadn't seen him since Shikamaru had vanished and while he was still the same underneath all the hair, there was a lot of hair to be underneath. He hadn't trimmed his beard and his hair was brushing his shoulders.

He was speaking to the Hokage in harsh tones but stopped when the two entered.

"Ah, someone's here to see you, Shikamaru." The Hokage said, plastering a fake smile on her face.

Chouji, for his part, didn't falter at all when he saw the bandages covering the Nara's eyes. There was another set, immobilizing his shoulder but the Akimichi hugged him irregardless, illiciting a groan from Shikamaru but a smile as well.

"Hey, Chouji." He said, his voice gravely.

Chouji poked him, "How'd you know it was me, Shika?"

Shikamaru snorted and winced, "You smell like barbequed beef."

Chouji scratched the back of his head and blushed a little, "I was having lunch with Guy sensei and Lee. They love barbeque."

Shikamaru grinned through cracked lips at them. The first impression Ino had was that she barely recognized him with his hair down and his eyes covered but it was more than just the addition of some hair and bandages. Every bit of fat and no small amount of muscle had been stripped away from him as well, it was like looking at a skeletal representation of what someone thought Shikamaru would look like if he was sculpted after being a week dead.

She pinched her thigh to keep from crying in front of the Hokage and stepped forward to greet him as well. Her own hug was a bit lighter and she carefully avoided his injured shoulder. "Hey Ino."

Chouji poked him again, "How'd you know it was her?" He said, unable to stop grinning.

"She smells like you." He said, scratching under the bandage at his temple.

Chouji coughed and blushed a deep scarlet and chanced a look at the Hokage who only rolled her eyes and gestured for Asuma to step outside. The two elder shinobi left the room.

Ino stepped away from the bed while Chouji chattered at Shikamaru without end and strained her ears to pick out the conversation the two were having.

"...tissue. It's not like healing a cut. If he had gotten here before the scars built up I could have fixed it, I can even cut the scar tissue away but the eyes aren't like the rest of the body. They don't absorb wasted material, he'd have scar tissue floating around inside his eyes, they would become infected and then they'd have to be removed entirely."

"What about a transplant?" Asuma said in little more than a growl.

The Hokage sighed, "I've done a few but the donor and the recipient have to have the same sized eyes. I can tell you now that no prisoner we have right now would fit him, nor would I take them even if they did. People shouldn't be used for spare parts, Asuma. If we ever have the opportunity to replace them, I will personally perform the procedure but I forbid searching them out actively on still living people."

There was a muted thud as something slammed into the wall, presumably Asuma's fist. "Are mine the same size?" He asked quietly.

There was silence for a breathless moment and the Hokage answered, "No."

Ino breathed a sigh of relief. Trading one blind person for another was not her idea of an ideal solution.

"Ino!" Chouji called, pulling her from her inner dialog. She quirked an eyebrow at him and smiled.

"They're only feeding him hospital garbage, I'm going to head home and see what my mother has cooking. Will you stay with him?" He asked, looking genuinely concerned.

Ino crossed her arms and gave him The Stare. He waved his hands in front of him, "Ok ok, was just making sure. I'll be back soon."

Instead of using the door he opened the window and jumped out. There was a muted thump that shook the water in a small vase of flowers next to Shikamaru's bed and then a startled scream. She heard her boyfriend yell a quick apology and shook her head. Knowing Chiji he'd be coming back with a four course meal.

Ino looked down at her own body. It was more of Chiji's handiwork. There'd been a time when she thought she was too heavy by far and hadn't stopped dieting until she could see her ribs. It was nice having a woman's figure though and it turned far more heads than skin and bones did.

_Not that I'm interested in turning heads. _She said to herself. _It keeps the other girls away from Chouji though. _

"You're quiet." Shikamaru said, into the silence.

Ino shook her head and sat down next to the bed. "Sorry, I'm still trying to take all this in. What happened to you? You've been gone for months."

Shikamaru turned his head towards her, "How long exactly? Asuma doesn't want to say."

Ino thought about it for a moment, "Just over seven." Shikamaru only nodded.

"Kabuto killed my father and took my mother captive. They wanted me to get them the Kusanagi sword." He took a breath.

Ino had to bite her lip to keep from asking her next question, '_Did you give it to them? Is that why you're a missing nin now?'_

She barely noticed as Asuma-sensei walked back into the room and sat down opposite her. Shikamaru related the story to them both, it was Asuma's second hearing of it but he sat silently and watched his student speak.

He glossed over his time in the pit, saying that he'd had to fight for his food. "Must not have won many, Shika...you're skin and bones." She said, trying to make a joke.

Shikamaru smiled wanely and continued, finishing with Asuma's help in the forest. "Can I see the sword?" She asked, feeling embarrassed about it.

Shikamaru shrugged and pulled a sword and resting sheath that Asuma had procured for him from under his leg.

"And it can turn into a snake?" She asked, eyeing the thing dubiously.

Shikamaru nodded and placed the sword back under his leg. "I'm keeping her in sword form. I used to thing the sword was the more dangerous of her forms but the snake is...unpredictable. She may try to attack one of you."

Ino noticed that he gave it a gender but made no mention of it.

True to his word Chouji was back and as Ino had suspected he carried two armloads of food and was pushed out of the way as Chouza and Chiji elbowed their way into the room. She began to worry about his breathing as Chiji kissed and hugged him quite thoroughly, tears sliding down her wiggling cheeks. Chouza ruffled the Nara's hair and grinned down at him proudly.

"Your father's son alright. He could fall into a cesspit and come out smelling like roses." Chiji gave him a harsh look and then nodded down at the Nara. "Ah...sorry Shika-kun."

"It's been the better part of a year, Chouza-sama. Thank you though." And he smiled in what he thought was the right direction.

Chiji broke the uncomfortable silence. "Enough with all the talking though. I wont have family looking like they missed a meal. I brought some greens, I know they're your favorite but that'll have to wait till I can't see your skinny little ribs anymore."

What they all witnessed over the next two hours was probably torture in some part of the world. Chiji buttered, spread gravy on or otherwise slathered every bite of food that Shikamaru took and she made sure that he took quite a bit. The closest he got to anything approaching non-fattening was jam.

If wasn't until he burped and had to swallow again that Chiji pronounced him full. The impressively large woman kissed him on the forehead and shooed Chouza out of the room, carrying empty bentos. Chiji kissed Ino on the cheek and scolded her for missing dinner the night before and left as well. Chouji followed them out and then returned shortly after.

Shikamaru groaned and patted his distended stomach. "I feel like I should vomit on principle."

Chouji grinned down at his best friend. "Nope, you'd just have to do it again. Besides, another week of meals like that and you'll be on the road to recovery."

Ino snorted, "He'll be on the road to diabetes." She said with a laugh that died in her throat when Chouji returned The Stare.

"So, catch me up on what's been going on." Shikamaru said, rubbing his stomach.

Chouji started with, "Our missions have come to a halt, we're all training up for the next chunin exam. It's next week and it's going to be hosted by Iwa. The Hokage said that they don't put the same value on life that we do so we'll have to work as a team to make sure no one is killed." Shikamaru seemed to think about this for a moment.

"You're both participating?" He asked, scratching at the bandages again.

Ino answered, "I'm not. The Hokage has taken over my training since Asuma-sensei..." She said, glancing over at the large shadow in the corner of the room.

"Since I left." He filled in for her.

"Yeah, anyways...Tsunade-sama is teaching Sakura and I about medical jutsus and she said and I quote, 'When you can tell your rear from your elbow you can go.'

Chouji grinned at Ino, "That's not what she said."

Ino crossed her arms in front of her, "I'm a lady, ladies don't say things like that."

"Then I suppose the Hokage's not a lady?" Chouji asked, poking Shikamaru.

"I didn't say that!" Ino shot back, her finger coming dangerously close to pointing at him.

Shikamaru smiled happily. _There was a time I wanted to get away from this. _

* * *

Over the next two days he was visited by Hinata's team, Sakura, Tenten and finally Lee who not only lamented his absence but Chouji's as well. "But Guy-sensei says you must rekindle your friendship." The Guy clone explained.

"Where is Neji?" He asked after the last had left.

Chouji was the only one left, Asuma had finally gone to clean himself up and Ino had been summoned away by the Hokage for training. "He's on a mission, he made jonin last month. They said he was the youngest since that Uchiha guy."

Shikamaru nodded. Despite his cold demeanor and rigid mental processes he missed the Hyuuga.

It was on the third day that he was summoned in front of the council. Thanks to Chiji, he'd put on at least a little weight and Chouji had brought a change of clothes from his house. He didn't have time for a shave or a haircut but he did place the length in a rigid ponytail.

Chouji gave him a quick, 'Good luck.' Then he was following the footsteps of Tsunade through the hospital.

"I can lead you if you want." She said, looking back at him archly.

"No thanks. I have to get used to this eventually. If I'm walking towards a sewer hole or something, I'd appreciate a heads up though." The Hokage snorted.

They made it with a minimum of bruising and he heard them pass from a hallway into a larger, open area. His footsteps echoed in the room until the Hokage finally stopped. He ruined their entrance by running into her back but quickly recovered.

"This is the missing-nin?" One voice said, an elderly male, Shikamaru guessed.

"No, this is Nara Shikamaru. He was pronounced as a missing nin to help facilitate his rescue." Tsunade said. He could already detect anger in her voice.

"That is your take on the events leading up to this hearing, Tsunade. The hearing will determine the legitimacy of your claims."

Shikamaru stepped in front of the Hokage. By all accounts she had sacrificed much to keep him off a kill-order list. "So this is a trial?" He asked, sounding as bored as he felt.

"This is a preliminary hearing to determine if a trial is necessary." This time a female voice, again aged.

"What are the proposed charges?" He asked, ignoring her tone.

There was a shuffling of paper and he stuffed his hands into his pockets. _That should raise their blood pressure a bit. _He was supposed to be standing at attention.

The Kusanagi, in sword form was on his back in her new sheath. They weren't touching but the ache was easily ignored.

"Capital theft of artifacts, collusion with known a and s-class criminals, assault on shinobi within the prescribed performance of their duties, sedition and treason against the Fire Lord." Another man said in a haughty voice.

"The evidence against me?" There was another bout of paper shuffling but he interrupted whoever was about to speak. "There a chair around here I can use?" There was a startled gasp at the very thought of him sitting down.

"Certainly not." The woman again.

Before there were any interfering remarks he made the appropriate hand symbols and his shadow exploded from under him, weaving thick ropes together to make a roughly chair-like shape that he sat on. It was a ridiculous waste of chakra but he didn't like to be talked down to.

He heard something directly above him. _Probably an anbu trying to loosen his sphincter after that display. _

"You were saying about the..." He yawned, making a hurry up motion with his hand. "...evidence."

"Two victims of the prison break-in and their testimony..." He was about to say more when Shikamaru interrupted him.

"What was their testimony?"

"That they were the victims of a classical Kagemane jutsu then made to strike each other rendering them unconscious." He said, his voice growing louder.

"Mmmkay. Next."

Another female voice spoke, this time sounding serene but gloating. "You convinced the last Uchiha to abandon the village, he is gone."

Tsunade began to speak and Shikamaru coughed. If the Hokage felt like breaking his arms for that particular interruption she didn't show it.

"The last bit then?"

"It's on your Kami-blasted back you dolt."

"Oh that." He said, standing again. He stretched lazily, the shadows making up the chair evaporated.

"To the sedition, I believe the Valley of the End investigation showed that Sasuke left of his own will." He started.

"It also showed that you were dead. Obviously mistakes were made." Another voice piped in.

Shikamaru shrugged, "Sure, happens all the time. I could have also walked him with a Kagemane for an appropriate distance, drugged him or anything else as foul."

"Exactly."

"Of course, if you're saying that I convinced him to go, you're also saying that I murdered my father and mother as well. I don't remember any murder charges." He said, stamping down his anger. This was important and he didn't need anger clouding his judgement. _What I wouldn't give to have these idiots in the pit._

"We'll come back to the sedition. The Kusanagi is what you want to talk about."

"We want it back!" One of them shouted.

"Back implies that it was yours to begin with. For a moment assume that you're intelligent people. What is the Kusanagi exactly? A sentient blade forged in the snake realm, right?"

There was a murmur in the room but he didn't wait for their agreement. "Slavery is outlawed in Fire Country. The anbu up there will have to take you into custody as slavers. Not a capital crime unless you're found with actual slaves."

He yanked the Kusanagi out of her sheath. _**Stop doing that! **_She growled at him, angered at being cut off from mental contact.

He allowed her to slip into her serpent form. "The Kusanagi chose me..." He said looking at the snake who also turned to him and made a very distinct nod. "I don't presume to own her any more than she owns me but if you insist on carrying out this charade, you can ask her to choose you as her next wielder. I assure you she can understand every word you say."

_**No I can't.**_

_You know what I said. _He argued.

_**I know what you thought as you said it. It's just grunting noise to me.**_

_Just do what I say._

_**Don't I always? **_The snake purred in his mind.

"I don't hear any chairs moving, no one wants to ask? I'll warn you though, you must be extremely polite. As old as you all are, and you sound pretty old, she's thousands of years older and she doesn't tolerate disrespect. Make a bow and give her the honorary sama and take your chances."

He held up the snake and she scratched the side of his head with her snout. "Oh, if you ask and she refuses she's going to kill you." He covered his mouth with his free hand and yawned again. Walking had taken a lot out of him. _Time to wrap this up. _He waited minute until it was clear to all that no one was going to take the chance._  
_

"Alright, since we've established the Kusanagi is sentient, that means she can't be owned. As such, she most certainly can't be stolen either. Maybe...sword-napped or something. I'd have to look it up, but as you can see she's here of her free will."

_**Not hardly, you were the best of some poor choices.**_

_That hurts. _

_**I'm a sword.**_

"The rest was a mission. The jail-break, the treason etcetera."

"Not the sedition! We lost the last of the Uchiha line because of you."

There was a shuffling of papers, this time from Tsunade. "This is Hatake Kakashi's evaluation of the mental and moral stability of Uchiha Sasuke. The main goal of the mission had been to recover Nara Yoshino, an inactive chunin, secondary to that was to determine Orochimaru's goals in regard to Konoha and since none of these could have been accomplished without Uchiha Sasuke for bait...I ordered Shikamaru to take him along and evaluate his loyalty."

"The mission failed in only one aspect. We did find out Orochimaru's particular plan for the Kusanagi, thanks to _Genin _Nara's infiltration of his camp and Uchiha Sasuke was shown to be a traitor."

There was a groan of chairs as they stood, "In reference to all charges, you are exonerated." The woman again.

"So, that about sums it up, yeah?" Shikamaru said, returning the Kusanagi to her sword form and replacing her in the sheath with a promise to find a better means of transporting her.

Tsunade turned and walked away and he followed at her heels. After a few steps he turned back to the council. "I'm not much for threats but here goes. If any of you imply, breath word, think too hard about or even fart the idea that I killed my parents..." He paused. "...well, I have to burn something in their honor." He smiled and waved at them before turning back and running right into Tsunade. This time her front if the generous padding was any indication.

* * *

"YOU CANT THREATEN THE COUNCIL!" Tsunade shrieked at him. She was pacing and he was sitting in front of her desk. Normally he'd have to be standing but he was pale now and she had ordered him to sit. "You were doing so damn well, they even exonerated you..." She let loose with a stream of obscenities ranging from the silly to the downright dirty before taking a breath.

"It's not like they can un-exonerate me. I'll be going on the chunin exams." It was a tactic he'd used with his mother sometimes. You said two completely unrelated things in quick succession. It was cheap but it worked.

"You can't participate in the chunin exams, you're blind." She said, her voice softening.

"Yes, I noticed, thank you." He pulled the sword out again. "I can see with her help...to a certain extent. It's going to be held at Iwa, I need to be there to help the others."

The Hokage paused, "Ok, how many fingers am I holding up?"

_What's she holding up? _He asked, hoping it would be fast enough.

_**Her left hand. **_

_How many fingers?_

_**What do you mean?**_

He sighed in frustration. "I can't see _that good, _you're holding up your left hand."

"Out of the question."

He shook his head. "I wasn't asking. You had me sign a contract, that contract works both ways."

* * *

Ibiki double-checked the files in his hands and made a direct line for the Hokage tower. A window broke overhead and he looked up reflexively. The oaken desk of the Hokage had taken flight for a brief, twenty meters. He then watched it plummet to the ground, shattering scant feet from him.

"It can wait." He told himself and turned right back around.

* * *

_Read, review and (hopefully) enjoy._

_Next chapter, chunin exams take 2._

_Anbu Dave  
_


	12. Chapter 12: Love to Hate

Chapter 12: Love to Hate

Neji bowed formally to Hiashi. "I will be accompanying the Hokage when she travels to Iwa. It was deemed, correctly so, that our bloodline would be best equipped to protect and advise her." Hiashi said nothing, only nodded and took a cup of his tea, his back rigid and his poise perfect.

Neji waited long moments, his eyes on the ground in front of him. He'd stopped binding his hair and it now flowed freely in the traditional style of his clan, he'd also taken to wearing more traditional robes, somewhat altered as he also performed missions in them.

Not wearing a flak vest was a personal choice but as they only protected from minor blows and as he'd only ever been surprised once he chose to ignore that particular piece of equipment.

"Treachery may be afoot. You will monitor the Nara, Shikamaru closely. He has threatened the council and has forced the Hokage to allow him to participate in the exam."

Only a lifetime of blanking his face kept him from reacting to the news that Shikamaru was back. _Asuma must have found him. _

He waited to see if there were more to his instructions. "I will, as always, monitor everyone and I will report back my findings on the Nara."

He stood and then backed away a few steps before turning and leaving, his bare feet making no sound on the wooden floor.

* * *

"Well, I see that seven months in that cave hasn't dulled your Shogi at all." Asuma said with a grin. He carefully reset the board after another, if close, loss.

Shikamaru smiled from behind the leather band that covered his eyes now. "Takes a little bit of the game away when you have to tell the other person your moves all the time though."

Asuma's hands paused for a moment as he replaced the pieces. "We'll get that fixed, it's just a matter of time before one of the missions brings back..."

Shikamaru shrugged, "I'm not going to wait for someone else to bring a donor to me. That's part of the reason that I wanted to go to the chunin exams."

Asuma eyed his student carefully. He chuckled but the mirth didn't reach his eyes, "Planning ahead already, Shiki-chan? What are the other reasons?"

"I need to ensure that Konoha has a prosperous year, I'm mostly the reason for the economic downturn. If I can keep everyone safe and ensure that Konoha looks far and away like the best village I can reverse some of that."

"Oh, is that all." Asuma grunted. Shikamaru had yet to smell a single puff of cigarette smoke from the man and was growing increasingly worried.

"I'm also destitute. The Hokage was willing enough to lie for me to the council but she didn't return my clan holdings or my families savings. A few extra missions wouldn't hurt."

Asuma growled something and Shikamaru cut him off, "I wouldn't have taken them back anyway. Being poor isn't half as troublesome as that much guilt." They spent the next few minutes in silence, listening to the bamboo fountain as it clattered peacefully.

"You think Chouji is ready for a foreign chunin exam?" Shikamaru asked carefully. He didn't want to insult his friend but neither would he be able to look out for him the entire time.

"If Guy say's he's ready then he's ready. I was gone as long as you were. I haven't seen either of you fight." He sipped his own tea. "I'm a little more worried about you though. You can't see any more than you could when I caught up to you, how do you expect to fight?"

Shikamaru shrugged, seeming bored with the topic. "I'll think of something, I always do." His face went blank and he whispered to himself so quietly that Asuma almost didn't catch it. "Almost always..."

Asuma had immediately noticed differences in Shikamaru's behavior when he'd caught up with him in the woods. One was his ease with killing, he could have captured the last of the Oto-nin but instead killed them. The first three could have been tactical choices but that last one...that was so far beyond what Asuma understood about Shikamaru's belief structure that he immediately began to scrutinize everything the Nara said or did.

The second major event he only got secondhand from the Hokage. _Along with the worst asschewing of my life. _When she'd explained in high volume and great detail what exactly his 'student' had said to the council.

Shikamaru never threatened. He didn't believe in it. If you were going to broadcast your intentions you invited counter action. Yet he had, and to great effect. He was silently grateful that Hyuga Hiashi hadn't been there. _I'd be burying him._

The third was his relapse into his old life as though nothing had happened at all. It was eerie, watching him smile when it never went past his lips. Laughter that died after a few forced attempts. They all pointed to the same conclusion.

_Something is very wrong. _

"I want you to speak...to a councilor." He said finally. He got it out in two breaths and when it was out it hung there like last week's gallows fodder.

Shikamaru began the game instead of answering, explaining the move to Asuma. When the Sarutobi had made his own move he replied. "Why?"

"You don't go through something like that without...problems." He said, trying to be tactful. He'd almost said scars but he had been there when they stripped the boy at the hospital and he bore crisscrossing scars all over his body. Even his face had not been spared, a thin scar ran from the back of his jaw straight up, just in front of his ear and then disappeared into his hairline on the right side.

"It's a cliche, Asuma-sensei...but life is hard. The reason we do the things we do is to keep that truth from the people we care about. I know you wanted to prevent me from learning that lesson for a bit longer but it's too late for that. I can't unlearn what I know."

"You can talk about it though, you're bottled up. It's like you're just pretending to be you." He said, his composure breaking. He reached out across the board, unsettling it and knocking it over. Wooden pieces clattered over the crushed limestone, forgotten.

Shikamaru's face was growing pink but his voice was in tight control, "Talk about what exactly? What sort of monster I had to become to stay alive?" The Nara stood angrily, kicking shogi pieces across the deck. "That I was in spitting distance of eating my victims to stay alive? My only companion was a snake that killed both the Third Hokage and my mother." He took a deep breath, looking defeated. "Lets go into great detail about all _that." _He walked off, stumbling as his foot slid off the step.

Asuma could only watch as his student left, his hands out in front of him, grasping blindly.

* * *

It wasn't until he was out of the Sarutobi compound that he realized he didn't have a place to stay unless he wanted to go groveling back to Asuma.

His clan holdings had been reclaimed and he had no money. He was pondering the problem, his hand sliding along one of the compound walls to guide him when he heard Neji speak up.

"Welcome back, Shikamaru-san." He said formally.

Shikamaru squeaked in what he hoped was a semi-manly fashion. "Don't be so quiet!"

"You're blind." He said, having activated his Byakugan already.

"So people keep telling me." He replied testily. "Come on, help out a former team mate." He said, gesturing for the Hyuga to come closer. His grabbed the Hyuga's wrist first and then climbed up to his shoulder. "Lead on."

"Where were you going? I thought you would be staying with Asuma. I had made arrangements to return to the Hyuga compound." Neji said, still not walking.

"Chouji's." _I'll have to grow a second stomach but it'll do for now. _Neji began walking.

"Would you speak of your capture?" He asked, his voice quiet but confidentc.

"Not really, I've told the story a hundred times now, it's not getting any easier." He said, feeling somewhat guilty for refusing.

"I understand." They walked in comfortable silence until a thought struck Shikamaru.

He looked over at the Hyuga genius. "You ever take my advice?"

Neji didn't look back, "About what?"

"Getting a girlfriend. It's solid advice. It's done wonders for Chouji and Ino both."

"You gave me no such advice." He said placidly.

Shikamaru turned to him sharply, "You never got my letter?"

Neji's Byakugan was still active and he saw both surprise and anger race across Shikamaru's features. "No, your mission was classified and later you were declared as a missing nin."

The Hyuga didn't need his Byakugan to hear the Nara's teeth grinding. Shikamaru said nothing for a great distance though, his mind turning.

"I was told you forced the Hokage to enter you as a candidate in the chunin selection exam." Neji said, ever one for tact.

Shikamaru chuckled blackly, "No one forces that woman to do anything. She did it to herself." He shook his head. "I'll be there though. You going to be holding down the fort? It'd be less hassle if you were coming, I need someone to look after Ino while we're in Iwa."

Neji's stride never faltered as he spoke, "I am escorting the Hokage to the exam. My clan has also..." He seemed to struggle with the word. "...implied that you bear watching. You are believed to be a traitor."

Though he still faced forward he saw Shikamaru's mouth tense and his shoulders draw up, a sign that he was angry but not surprised.

"What do you think?"

Neji thought about it for a moment. "I think that if you could trick the Kusanagi out of the Hokage, the toad scroll from Jiraiya-sama and create an economic vacuum in Konoha, my personal observations should be interpreted by someone a bit more qualified."

Instead of the anger that he expected from his honesty Shikamaru only chuckled. "It's easy to fool the people that care about you."

"You also escaped from Orochimaru." Neji pressed.

Shikamaru only shook his head, "I thought I escaped once and it cost me my family." He sighed, "I've been thinking about it. Nothing happens without his knowledge, at least so far as his own base is concerned. It took me...I don't know, a long time to drill that hole. At the end it was almost a kilometer long."

"What are you saying?" Neji prompted, still appraising Shikamaru through the side of his own head.

"I don't know. Something's wrong with the whole thing though. I can't explain it. I'd tell you to keep your eyes open but that's insubordination now." He smiled over at Neji.

"Rank aside, I still believe you to be a more capable leader." Shikamaru began to speak but Neji cut him off. "That does not mean I trust you. Too much has transpired for that to be possible."

The Nara nodded, his ponytail bobbing. "I changed my mind. Where are we?" Neji explained their position.

"I can find my way from here." He patted Neji on the shoulder and then let go.

"Have I upset you?" Neji asked.

"You know you haven't, you've had those eyes working probably since Asuma's place."

Neji didn't attempt to dispute it, "I will meet you at six on the morning of the trip. The Hokage has commissioned a wagon for the voyage to carry our provisions, there will be room enough for you as well."

"How will you know where I am?"

"I am a jonin."

Shikamaru looked ready to smile but didn't, "I'll be back on my feet soon, if you're going to be watching me all night, keep that in mind. I don't need help and I don't need pity." He paused and looked back, somewhat off center. "I'll talk to you soon."

The Hyuga said nothing but neither did he understand. They parted, Neji heading back the way he had come. He preferred to stay in the Sarutobi compound, the Hyuga clan was less welcoming of late but soon Hiashi-sama would call for him and there was little he could do but obey.

* * *

Shikamaru fumbled with the door to the _was _wrong. He couldn't put his finger on it and while he never hoped to develop the sort of paranoia that ran rampant among Orochimaru's followers, ignoring the feeling was suicide. He'd decided against staying with Chouji. If he was being watched any attachments he had could be used against him. He had been too stupid to see that when his own parents might have been spared but he could remedy that by sparing those closest to him.

_Until Orochimaru is dead, my friendships need to be. _

The Kusanagi was sheathed now but in his hands, he carried her over his shoulder for the most part. _**That is a difficult choice. **_

_I've been alone before, snake. _He thought, a little grumpily.

The Kusanagi, never known to dance around a topic, didn't embrace tact now, _**'That was thrust on you, this is a choice. Can you look at your friends and then drive them away?'**_

_I can save them. _

_**It would be better if it were just you and I again. **_

He rubbed a thumb along the hilt, _'When we kill Orochimaru, we will be alone again.'_

The sword sent him a confusing string of images, ones that he had seen before. It nagged at him and he tried to remember it but it had been before his capture and eluded him. _You can cut anything. _He understood the meaning though. She couldn't cut Orochimaru.

_**Not everything.**_

He backed himself into a utility closet and from force of habit, constructed a pane of shadow in front of him, hiding him from sight. It was dark already and the shadow would also protect him from a minor attack. He'd perfected molding his chakra while dozing and drifted off into a half-sleep.

* * *

He woke early and chewed on a bag of raw noodles that he found in the pantry as he made his way out to training area twelve. He heard Guy long before the jonin ever saw him and from the sounds of things both Lee and Chouji were in the middle of an all out brawl.

He could barely follow the battle with his ears and though there were only two voices it sounded as though a dozen people were fighting all at once.

Then Guy shouted, "Now Tenten!" He promptly gave up trying to follow the battle as the air filled with buzzing, shrieking and humming objects. There were half a dozen clangs as weapons were turned aside.

"Ah, I see your faith in the Akimichi armor is strong, Chouji-san. Be sparing in it's use though. It should only be tested when you fail, not be used as a means of deflection. A element affinity, especially wind, can cut through a steel plate as thick as your thigh."

He heard Chouji bark a quick, "Hai, sensei." Before the air was filled with more humming.

_At least Tenten is here, she's who I needed to see. _There was a grunt and he heard Guy chuckling.

"All your senses! You don't have a Byakugan but you still need to _perceive _everything in your immediate vicinity. The enemy's kunai are not going to be blunted!"

* * *

He made his way through town, speaking with Tenten had been easy. Ignoring Chouji afterwards had been almost too much to bare.

He'd made his way back to the academy, tracing his way along familiar walls. It was growing dark before he finally heard the telltale squeaking of the playground equipment.

His search for the door was cut off as a voice broke the silence in front of him. "Ah, you're back. I heard you were blinder than a bat now." The voice came closer. "Yep, sure looks like it."

He slouched further down. _That's all I need. _"Ever the lady."

Anko snorted loudly, "Settle down, if you got away from Orochimaru with your life you're doing pretty good. Took two jonin and a former Hokage to get me away from him."

Shikamaru's scowl evaporated, "That's why you knew so much about him. You were his student."

Anko ignored his revelation, "What are you doing here?"

"It's too much of a bother to walk all the way across town, this is as good a place as any for some sleep." He said, trying to bluff. The last thing he wanted was pity.

Anko was silent for a moment, "I forgot you were homeless. Come on, you can crash at my place."

Shikamaru shook his head and began to speak. Anko cut him off, "Look, I know you got friends that will put you up but you're afraid of putting them in danger, right?"

He looked up at her, somewhat startled. "Don't look so impressed. I went through the same thing. When's the last time you saw me hanging out with my friends?"

She didn't wait for a reply, just kept rolling like a log downhill, "I don't have any. At first it was because I was outcast. Everyone thought I knew what he was doing. He even curse sealed me too, nothing like the earth seal he does now but close enough for idiots. That was easy, being outcast. You could hate the bastards right back."

She barked a laugh, "I used to flirt with the stuffed jackets just to get a rise out of them. Then, when I became a jonin and met people that didn't care about my past, that was when it got hard. I could have had friends, I could have gotten close to people but why? Why take the chance when that asshole might decide that he has another use for me? Mine as well call them targets instead of friends."

Shikamaru's scowl was back and deepening, "He _might _come back for you, I know he's coming for me. I'm not risking anyone else."

He didn't hear anything and only barely felt the slightest brush of wind before the business end of a kunai was pressed against his throat. Her voice whispered in his ear and he could feel her breath on his cheek. Only the knife kept him from jumping back in shock. "Would it help your conscience if I told you I was using you for bait?" She whispered. He could barely breath without the tip of the knife cutting deeper. Already he could feel a hot trickle of blood sliding down his neck.

The knife tip vanished and he felt a hand in his. "Your blood smells weird as hell."

"Yeah, you're gonna wanna wash that kunai. I etch metal pretty quickly. It's the Kusanagi, I'm a bit poisonous now." Almost before he was done he heard her spit, loudly and at great length.

"You alright?"

"Great." She said, her voice choked and gasping.

Resigning himself to puzzlement he took his hand from hers and placed it on her shoulder. "You win. You can use me for bait, I can pretend I don't mind another dead body in my wake."

Her shoulder shook and he heard her chuckling, "I've got that guy's number, he doesn't know I learned his assassination jutsu."

"If you say so."

* * *

He barked his shin on a table and his feet became tangled in something immediately upon entering the door. She spoke up, "Sorry about the mess, but hey you're blind. For all you know you just destroyed some art or something."

"Art doesn't usually smell like rotten takeout."

"Speaking of which, you hungry?" There was a crashing sound and then the sound of things hitting a far wall, mostly clothes and mostly dirty if the smell was any indication. There was a rough, crunching thud from one of the objects.

"Shit." She muttered to herself.

"Everything alright?"

"Mmph." She replied. Under her breath he heard her muttering, 'One more hole in the wall isn't going to mean much for my deposit I guess.'

He decided to stand still. He couldn't trip on anything and he wouldn't be risking his shins if he stayed put.

She called from what sounded like another room. "I've got...mustard and some noodles." He heard her push something around in the refrigerator . "And a bag of..." There was a pause. "Nevermind. Oh! Got some rice balls. I forgot about those, one of my students brought them in. He's a brown nose but damn if his mother doesn't cook like an Akimichi."

"That's fine." He said, trying to shuffle forward.

"What?" She yelled.

"Fine!"

"To which?" The refrigerator closed with a rattling thud.

"The mustard."

He heard her step into the room. More appropriately he heard her kicking things out of her way as she came into the room. "No one likes a smartass. Catch." She said and he put his hands in front of his face instinctively.

She chuckled. "Nice face. Like I'd waste a good rice ball." She grabbed his hand and shoved one of the balls into it.

She led him to a couch, "Here have a seat." He began to sit down and immediately straightened up as she barked, "Wait!" A moment later, "Ok, go ahead."

"Ever think about cleaning?" He asked, taking a tentative bite of the rice ball.

"Sure, all the time." He heard her take a bite as well. "And before you get any ideas about cleaning for me, most of it is dirty underwear. Panties and bras all over the place. So leave it alone."

He grinned in spite of himself. "Not much chance of that, I could barely keep my own room clean."

"Genius resides in clutter." She said, her mouth still half full.

"That's what I used to tell my..." He cut off, thinking better of the statement.

Anko broke the silence quickly. "I'll clear a few paths around for you tomorrow."

He started to protest that he wouldn't be staying more than a day, "Just shut up. You're not going to be rich tomorrow." He declined to answer and they were quiet as they finished the food.

The couch moved slightly as she turned towards him. "I know the risks, Nara. I'm also another set of eyes." She giggled at this. "One set anyways. Is it crappy to make blind jokes? I don't care...they're priceless." She laughed again but not cruelly. "Stay here till you're on your feet or the urge to clean becomes too much."

He nodded, not willing to give her an answer yet.

"You get the couch. I don't have another bed. My room is at your immediate right. I've lived alone a long time and if that door opens without a knock you'll get a kunai in the brainpan. Crapper is straight ahead. I'll get you a blanket or something." He sincerely hoped that 'or something' did not become necessary.

* * *

He woke in a fog, his mind trying to catalog and catch up with the myriad of smells in an attempt to figure out where he was. Something moved on his chest and he let out a yelp, sitting bolt upright. The thing on his chest turned out to be a cat of some sort and yowled as it hit the ceiling.

There was a loud thump as it hit the floor again and went skittering out of the room. The door to the right of the couch crashed open, throwing a wave of debris in front of it. "Hey!" She yelled, inarticulately.

"There was something on me." He said, turning towards the voice. He kept hold of the blanket as it smelled like the only clean thing in the house and he didn't want it winding up on the floor.

Anko yawned noisily and he heard her scratching something. "That's Grumpy Jonko. You're lucky he didn't lay on your face. Almost killed me the first time I let him in overnight." There was a moment of silence during which she yawned again and then barked at him. "Hey!"

He jumped a little at the sharp noise. "Turn around! I didn't put you up so you could get a free peep show."

Struck with the absurdity of it he turned his head away from her and she let out a rough chuckle. "Those blind jokes still aren't getting old." She smacked her lips. "Ok it's only nine, back to bed for me."

The door slammed shut again and he was left alone. There was an inquisitive meow from behind him. "Sorry, Jonko."

From the other room he heard a muffled shout from Anko, "Grumpy!"

"Grumpy Jonko." He amended.

He made himself count out an hour in his head and then dressed. He made his way to the bathroom and set all his faculties towards not cutting himself inside the unknown room. After failing and then wondering why a kunai was in her medicine cabinet he finished up, doing the best he could with his ponytail.

* * *

"Don't get settled..." Anko said, gesturing at her class. "We have another mission." The class all turned towards her, looking interested.

"Well more a mission for you guys..."

* * *

Anko opened the door to her apartment, her class behind her, peering around her trench coat. "What are you waiting for? You have your teams and your assignments. Kunoichi only in the bathroom and bedroom."

There was some sniggering from the boys and she snorted, "It's for your own mental wellbeing, head on in if you want to dispel a few notions you have about women." She poked the class leader in the chest, Tio this time, "I can do for girls what your parents did for Santa no ojisan."

The boy swallowed heavily, the smirk sliding off his face.

"Didn't think so, back to work."

Shikamaru was gone, she'd made sure of that. He'd headed out early, probably preparing for the chunin exams. She didn't really care, so long as he was gone. Oddly enough she didn't feel embarrassed that he'd seen her apartment in such a state. _Saw my apartment, that's good, I'll have to use that. _She would be mortified if he caught her using her class to clean it though.

"You have an hour then one of you sex trophies is going to pull the thankless task of eating something from _my_ fridge on _that _flatware." She grumped, pointing at the stack of greasy dishes in the sink.

* * *

He made his way through town, it was becoming easier once he recognized the different sounds as different distances. He still barked his toe on a curb and ran right into a produce cart but there was no bleeding and that was an improvement.

The larger portion of his day he'd dedicated to the realization of an invention he'd thought of in the pit. He'd confirmed it was possible already with his own shadow, now he just needed to make it less discreet. Not something he'd ever thought he'd be striving for but necessity was the mother of invention and all that.

He'd taken off his forehead protector for his forays into Konoha. It stung but it would only hurt the village's image more if he was seen with a stick tapping his way down the streets as a shinobi.

_**If you would let me see, I could help. **_He had taken to carrying her as a snake but she was resting on a leather loop he'd tied around his neck and his collar was cinched tight.

_I can't trust you not to kill people._

_**Why would you want to trust me to do that?**_

He sighed outwardly. _The people we are around now are friends. _

_**Tell them not to startle us.**_

_I can't tell them all. _He explained, not knowing if she'd understand the concept.

The Kusanagi was silent for a few blocks.

He steadily made his way to training area six. The sword had been right about one thing, he did need to learn to see through her eyes a bit better.

* * *

The training, he found, wasn't particular strenuous but it was certainly tedious enough to give him the massive headache that battered inside his skull at the moment.

The problem wasn't with seeing. He saw, if not in great detail. The problem was with finding a method of anchoring what the sword saw to what was around him. She saw things with all her senses and two different types of sight spread across three different ranges.

Some things, in a frontal cone to her snout, she...perceived their heat. Her other eyes moved independently of each other and gave almost a full view all around her but was slightly upturned. Her tongue also added drifting perceptions across the entirety of the mess and while he'd learned to ignore the steady pulse of his heartbeat that she felt through her stomach, every time he moved it scrambled the images even more.

He warmed a kunai in his hand and tossed it into the dirt in front of him. Immediately he saw the heat blooming in front of him as she instinctively turned to track the movement.

Another of the seemingly insurmountable problems was that he couldn't get her to simply fixate on something. Her head itself rarely turned but she picked and chose which senses to highlight in her reptilian mind, seemingly at random.

_**You are trying to control what I see but I see everything.**_

He gave up as he felt the sun dip beneath the horizon. He'd started off being skeptical that it would work but now was only frustrated. His mind couldn't catch up to what he was seeing fast enough.

It took him a moment to find the discarded kunai and he stuffed it back into his thigh holster sullenly.

Movement cracked like lightning at the edge of her vision and they both turned towards it sharply.

The movement halted instantly. He still hadn't heard anything.

_**Take off those insufferable hides! **_

He slipped his shoes off and she slid across the back of his shoulders, her belly resting on his collarbone. The images came alive in his mind. A storm of earthy shudders that seemed all around him at once but still with a definable origination. The distance between his feet provided the direction of the source, even though it now waited, impossibly silent.

His neck hair stood on end but he refrained from taking a kunai from it's holster. If it was an enemy he was likely dead. If it was anyone else, he'd rather they didn't know he couldn't distinguish between people yet.

Movement flared again, slower this time and they both tracked it easily. It became more defined as it exited the underbrush it had been hiding in. He watched in fascination as her brain relayed the images.

She only detected movement at greater distances and the intruders torso didn't appear to be moving so he only 'saw' it's arms and legs in hazy outlines.

The earth shuddered underneath the silken steps and though he could not detect it, the sword could and was using his skeletal structure as a direct conduit to the ground.

Long moments passed as the figure slowly circled, sometimes moving away, sometimes closer as if testing how far he could track. Once it vanished completely, only to return behind them.

"Come out, I'm getting tired of this." He called in a lazy tone he didn't feel.

There was a deeper shudder in the ground followed by complete silence and then he finally heard their visitor himself as they landed right in front of him. He blocked out the images as the vibrations scrambled everything again.

"That is...impressive." _Neji. _He thought in his mind.

Shikamaru chuckled, "Not very. I couldn't tell who you were."

Neji didn't respond to this, "If it interests you, your range...or rather it's range is not consistent."

Shikamaru nodded, "Different densities have different limits depending on the type of vibrations being produced. She can hear things for miles in the mountains, but only because of the high concentration of solid rock."

He didn't add that she couldn't hear anything near or past rivers.

"You were frustrated before, now you seem to be more intrigued. I take it my appearance has resulted in a discovery of sorts?" Still in that deadpan voice. He'd all but disappeared again in the sword's vision and she was focusing on her perception of heat. He appeared as an indistinct, warm blob in front of them.

He thought about this for a moment, "I don't think I can train with her alone. She doesn't care about trees or throwing kunai." She ignored the heat now and flicked out her tongue in even succession.

Her sense of smell always disturbed his concentration. If he were to bury his face in the front of Neji's robes he would not experience a tenth of what she did with a small flick of her tongue from meters away. She could smell the cotten of his robes, the soap he'd used in bathing and even his own, distinct scent. It struck him as odd that a jonin would smell primarily of wood polish and incense but he made a note of it in his mind.

"How long have you been watching me for?" He asked, feeling somewhat annoyed.

There was a brief pause, "Before you woke this morning." There was another pause. "I afford you privacy in your bathroom."

_Probably saw me getting angry. _"Hey, that's great of you. Anything else I should know?" He asked sarcastically.

Neji ignored his tone and continued on, "I will accompany you from Anko's apartment in the morning." He began walking and came alive in their shared vision before halting again. "I know why you are reticent of late, I was watching when you explained to Anko your reasoning." Neji turned back to face the Nara. "I have not told Ino or Chouji as yet but I felt that Asuma-san should know."

Shikamaru grumbled something. "Where have you been watching me from?"

"The Sarutobi estate." He replied, without flourish.

Shikamaru's eyebrows shot up. "That's kilometers from the academy."

"Two point three from my room. I can stay and assist you with your training if you think it will benefit you. I would suggest getting some rest though. There will be plenty of opportunity to train tomorrow if all you need are participants."

"I don't know how I'm going to..." He started and stopped again. _How I'm going to run off my friends._

Neji spoke before he could continue, "I will keep them away from you. You should rethink your stance in the matter though. I doubt you could defeat Orochimaru on your own and your former teammates have become quite formidable. Chouji in particular is quite...adequate when Guy-san allows him the use of his bloodline jutsus."

He shook his head, "No. I'll think of something on my own."

"As you say. Would you like to be accompanied back to Mitarashi-san's apartment?" He asked, still no inflection in his voice.

"It's not just Chouji and Ino I'm looking out for, Neji." He said, sounding tired. He brushed off any dust he had gathered during the day, hoping he got the majority of it.

"I will not try to sway you, but if given a choice I think the people you are protecting would rather share in the danger than have you feel as though you should face it alone. We are shinobi, Shikamaru. I could die tomorrow retrieving the Fire Lord's cat or I could die next to a friend fighting something truly despicable." He began walking away.

"Just know that it's your own fear that keeps you alone, not mine."

* * *

The sun was well down and the night air was cooling rapidly as he made his way back to Anko's place. He carried a medium sized package under his arm that looked like a wrapped ball. He didn't have time to test it but Tenten's father was the best weaponsmith in Konoha and probably the rest of the shinobi lands as well. He had little doubt it would do exactly what he'd designed it to do.

Two other packages, flat this time, were resting inside a small satchel on his back. In designing them he'd hoped that it would somewhat nullify his handicap. He was busy rechecking his designs in his head but he doubted he would have noticed her approach anyways.

A hand landed on his shoulder and he yelped, high and loud. Instinctively his shadow lanced out from between the fibers of his clothes and speared it. It didn't have enough force to impale the offending intruder but he knew that it had broken skin.

"Ouch, shit!"

He sighed, it was Anko again. "You shouldn't go sneaking up on people, Anko."

"You keep that jutsu going all the time?" She asked, her surprise quickly covered.

He shook his head. "Just at night, it takes too much chakra to keep up during the day." He turned towards her voice. "You're lucky it was the Kagemane that got you and not the Kusanagi, you'd be dying right now."

"Ah, forgot about that." There was a sucking sound and he raised his eyebrow.

"It deep?" He asked, crossing his arms in front of himself.

Anko didn't answer for a moment, "Not too bad, come on. I cleaned the place up, I even found some furniture that I thought I'd lost. I thought it was just a pile of clothes."

He held out his hand and she took it, leading him the last kilometer or so to her apartment.

As they entered he immediately knew what had happened. While she couldn't pick out and catalog every single scent in the room, the sheer number of sweating little bodies gave it away to both him and the sword. "You cleaned?" He asked, throwing a little skepticism in there for her.

"Yep." She replied, sounding a little too perky.

He fixed her, he hoped, with a frank stare. "Well...it was my idea." She continued. "Anyways, it's clean so you don't have to find a new place for now."

_Something is wrong here. _He thought. The Kusanagi offered no female advice.

"Got some more food too, I cooked some of it. I think it's ramen." She said, her voice a little muffled from not looking at him.

He decided not to call her on that particular fib and instead followed the sound of her voice. The ate in what he hoped was a comfortable silence and he thanked her.

"Everything alright?" He asked, sounding more perplexed than concerned.

Anko snorted. "I'm throwing you all kinds of flirty looks and you can't see a damn thing." She stood up from the table and he could hear the rattle of dishes in the sink.

"Sorry." He said, rather lamely.

She chuckled, "It's ok, it actually makes this a bit easier. I don't have to worry about my hair or anything. Anyways, it's been a while since I had anyone I could be close to. Kind of sucks that we're both going to have to face Orochimaru and we're both probably going to die but life is short even when you're not a shinobi." The dishes stopped rattling and he could tell she was looking at him.

"I don't exactly have a lot of time to start dating, Anko." He said, trying not to hurt her feelings.

Instead of, what he believed was a universal reaction to being denied from watching Sakura and Ino, bursting into tears and running away Anko only laughed. "Dating is for people with more time, Nara. We're skipping to the good bits. Come on, we're gonna see if anything else about you is poisonous."

Even during his most zen cloud experience his mind had never gone so silent. "Uh..." He started.

"Nice face. I like you, Nara. You don't take any crap and you're pretty cute besides. It's pretty hard not to like me so I think we're on even ground. Less you can think of a good reason by the count of ten you should probably get on board with this."

"One...two...ten."

* * *

The journey into Iwa had been uneventful, he spent the majority of it tracking his fellow shinobi and trying to find some semblance of comfort in the Kusanagi's version of sight. It was slow going but he'd yet to run into anyone all day, even if he couldn't say the same for inanimate objects.

The Hokage's entourage had been placed in the center of the formation, the supply wagon trailed behind her so that, "I'm not stepping in horse dung the entire trip." she had said. A retinue of anbu, led by Kakashi walked near her but Shikamaru knew, without having to resort to the Kusanagi's sight that where you saw one anbu, there were four more you didn't.

He enjoyed watching Ino and Chouji interact. He'd been hoping that their relationship stayed strong despite their constant separation. Every day they walked and chatted together and every night she cooked enough food to probably feed the entire camp but only smacked hands and scowled at anyone who approached.

"That's not for you, Kakashi-sensei." He heard the elder shinobi begin to whine and he was abruptly cut off as Ino spoke up again. "Your rations will do fine, he needs to put on weight before the start of the exam. If you wanted something besides a ration bar your should have packed for it."

He sat around the main fire with everyone else but said little. Anko entertained everyone with her stories without ever actually interacting with anyone. It was masterful how she appeared to stay in contact with them, to be personable and yet still be distant. He was still sore from their..._relationship jump?..._he couldn't really classify what had happened and he gave up trying to sort out how he felt about it. He enjoyed being around her but it was tempered by fear as well.

Asuma had come as well as Kurenai but Guy had stayed behind with Shizune to keep the council at bay until the Hokage returned. He had been close enough to the Hokage a few times now for the Kusanagi to pick up a little detail and she was wearing the traditional robes of the Hokage for once, though the hat was still conspicuously absent.

She had little enough to say to him and he didn't try to talk to her for fear or raising her ire again. Once had been enough.

He spoke with Anko frequently while traveling but neither felt the need to display any affection for the other. It was a comfortable, if unspoken understanding. It was easier to not have to explain to people the weird dynamic they'd found themselves in.

"How's that snake-charming coming?" She'd asked as they neared the gates for Iwa.

He shrugged, "Better than I expected but not as good as I'd hoped." He tilted his face towards the sky, he felt sunlight but the clouds were forever beyond his grasp now.

"This'll be the last time we can talk about it." She said, under her breath now.

Shikamaru shrugged, "They're just genin. I'm hoping what I've learned will even it out."

She pinched his rear making him jump and ahead of them Neji coughed slightly in embarrassment.

"Keep those greasy grey peepers to yourself!" She shouted, causing the majority of the convoy to look back at her.

She pointed at Neji who'd gained a little color in his pale cheeks but his byakugan was certainly missing.

The guards at the gate, eight of them in all, split up to escort them to their quarters. The Hokage left with Kakashi and everyone else was led to a small apartment building that had been emptied for them.

He remarked to himself how the different villages were run. When they'd held the chunin exam in Konoha they hadn't displaced any of their citizens in order to house foreign shinobi. Quite the opposite, law forbade them from doing so and the visiting shinobi had been offered housing at a general barracks.

Most had declined and sought out inns for a bit more comfort.

No one had to share a room but at the order of their respective jonin sensei, they did. The only exception was himself and that was at least in part due to the fact that Asuma had yet to speak with him since the outburst at his estate.

The participants were Kiba, Shino, Hinata, himself, Chouji and Tenten. The guards told them all in the foyer that they had the majority of the morning to settle themselves and that they, along with the rest of the participants, would be gathered at noon and briefed on the first of the four exams.

His own room smelled of well cared for furniture and cooking. The apartment itself was only two rooms, the main served as an all-in-one room for the kitchen, dining room and bedroom and the bathroom was a small offshoot.

"That'll make learning it a bit easier at least." He said into the empty room. He sat down on a small couch that faced a window. It hit him as a bit ironic that as a blind person he was staring out of a window but it was warm.

The door opened and shut behind him softly. "It's me." Anko said conversationally. "Oh look, a bed."

* * *

He extricated himself from the bed long enough to get dressed and start preparing himself for the day ahead. Morning was slowly giving way to afternoon and he wanted to give himself extra time to get to where he was going.

He placed his hair into it's customary ponytail, somewhat longer than the traditional Nara's wore it but still tidy.

Anko talked as he readied himself. "We're going to be watching, all the jonin I mean. We're supposed to group up after the first test and produce files on known qualities of your opposition." He heard her throw off the sheets and begin dressing as well.

"Any idea what the first test is?" He asked, tightening the holster on his thigh and checking the empty sheath on his back.

Anko pulled a shirt over her head, "No, just the proctor."

* * *

"My name is Deidara, I'll be in charge of the first exam. Sadly, not the entire thing but if I had to choose I guess I'd pick being first anyways. There are eighteen teams of three but from now until the end of the exam all teams have been disbanded. You'll naturally group together into your hidden villages so I don't have to make that a rule."

The young shinobi tossed his blonde hair out of his eyes and tapped his lip. "I was told I have to eliminate half of you off the start or I'm on extra duty. Because of Konoha's _insistence ..." _He said with a beleaguered look on his face and a dramatic sigh. "...we've removed fighting to the death."

Several smirks emerged from the crowd of faces but most kept their attention focused on the proctor.

"So, we'll simulate a real life encounter that almost every shinobi will experience at some point in their short, bitter careers." He said with a cheery smile. He gestured to a small box on a table next to him. "Choose a village captain and send them up to find out which you'll be doing, escorting or attacking."

He held up a finger for silence as the muttering began. "In order to win as an escort you need only bring your 'client'.." He said, raising his fingers and giggling softly, "...from start to finish unharmed. To succeed as an attacker you have to stop the escort from winning. I particularly like this year's focus on village centric combat, means I get to make half the Kage's trot back home today." There was another tittering laugh that set Shikamaru's teeth on edge.

"For reasons of fair play, some villages will be split into more groups as they decided to send every idiot that can carry a kunai to participate. With the numbers being what they are, village groups will not be larger than four people and no smaller than two people. You can split up your groups once you've drawn, captains will draw for each team that needs to be formed from their village."

* * *

Hinata was glad to see that Chouji was unanimously shoved forward as the Konoha captain. Of all of them he was the strongest but he was also kind. He just hadn't voted for himself, instead he had started talking about Shikamaru until the Nara had shaken his head.

_How is Shikamaru-san going to fight while being blind? _The thought had plagued her the entire trip to Iwa but she had to trust that the Hokage knew what she was doing and that Shikamaru had a plan as well. He was said to be incredibly smart.

Chouji nodded and flashed a smile back at the rest of the leaf-nin before stepping forward and drawing two scraps of paper from the box. He didn't open them until he was back with the group. Hinata could hear the muttering and cutting remarks directed at Chouji-san. The wooden floor bowed underneath him and though everyone in Konoha knew it was because of the weights he wore on his wrists and ankles, the rest of the gathered shinobi let out harsh chuckles.

"Is that an Akimichi? The fatass bloodline." She knew that Chouji had heard it as well but he ignored the insults and walked calmly back to the group. On his back was the iron banded log, polished dark with his own hands and inscribed with dozens of names.

She felt the blood rising in her face and she was about to speak up when Kiba's hand fell on her shoulder. "They wont be saying much if the meet him during this test, Hinata."

"Holding back your girlfriend, doggy-style?"

Kiba's temper, never the best, flared and he turned, "What'd you say, asshole?" Akamaru, now grown to the boys waist growled and turned with him, silencing all but the bravest or foolhardy in front of the duo.

Chouji reigned him in quickly though, "They're doing it on purpose, let it go." He gestured to the two open scraps of paper. "We got one of each, an escort and an attack. Any ideas on groups?"

Hinata stared at the scraps. Her own talents would be valuable to either group, Kiba was a tracker type and would be better on the offense. Shino was also suited for either one. Tenten and Chouji were both combat types and would work well together given their teammate relationship no matter what they decided to do, she was unsure of Shikamaru though and where he would fit in.

She didn't want to leave him unmentioned if she gave her appraisal of what their teams should be. It would be rude and probably hurtful as well.

Thankfully he spoke up after only a minute of debate from the rest.

"I'll take Kiba on the attack. Take the rest for the escort." Kiba looked the most surprised of all of them.

Chouji was the only one who nodded, "Alright, Shika."

Kiba piped in and she winced, "What do you mean, alright? We're going to get creamed, he's blind...it'll be me against fourth other shinobi."

All the heads in the room turned towards the Konoha group. Shino spoke first, "In case it was in doubt they know for sure now, Kiba."

At least Kiba had the presence of mind to blush and clamp his mouth shut even though his eyes still raged in their sockets.

They made their way to the starting points and went about signing the documents that released Iwa from any military reprisal should they die.

One of the mist nin spoke up about it, "I thought you said there would be no killing?"

Deidara only shook his head and laughed, though not good naturedly. "I said I couldn't make it mandatory. Takes a bit of the bite out of it, doesn't it?"

"Alright, now for the fun bit. Any scores to settle? I'll let the attackers pick which escort they're going for."

Shikamaru's eyebrows shot up and he debated the merits of dropping out of the running and just going against his own village. It would be an exceptionally safe test but he would be barred from participating in the next three. In the end the math did the work for him. He could make one quarter of the test completely safe or he could make all of the tests slightly more safe. Since there was an unknown element in the equation he dismissed the idea immediately.

"What teams are there, Kiba?" He asked, quietly.

Kiba grumbled something but answered him, his voice still taut. "There's three from the mist village, a Suna team, two Iwa teams..."

"Just the escorts, Kiba." He amended.

"Oh..." He waited while Kiba picked out the groups. "Two mist, a Suna, three cloud, an Amegakure, an oto team and..."

Shikamaru hadn't even thought to check for Oto nin, of course a chunin exam was a neutral event, even Orochimaru's village wouldn't be forbidden from participating.

"We'll take the Oto team, Deidara." He drawled lazily. Inside he was seething. The Kusanagi battered against his will, trying to slip into snake form but he pushed down the urge heavily.

There was no reply but Kiba informed him that the proctor had heard him and wrote it down in a small book.

The rest of the attackers called out names, he ignored the rest until one of the Iwa teams called out for Konoha."

Before he could ask Kiba about them Deidara spoke up again.

"I know that in a real-world situation you wont have the luxury of picking who your enemies are but just to keep everything fun for everyone, I like this idea."

Deidara slammed his book shut and spoke louder. "All escorts will remain here for the next twelve hours. They will be released to travel at one hour intervals after that. First Kiri then Oto, Konoha, Suna and so on down the numbers on your cards." He gestured to an Iwa jonin that was waiting with his arms crossed. "Attackers follow Jeestu-san and you will be released in the same order from the finish line."

* * *

Hinata nodded, taking her place in the carriage next to the 'client'. Tenten had given them their assignments for the escort and they all made sense. She was to observe from a central position and inform everyone of any attackers, Chouji was primary guard, Tenten was secondary. Shino was on a forward patrol along their route.

They were two hours into their escort when she realized their folly. Iwa nin were infamous for ground techniques and she couldn't penetrate the ground with her byakugan. She stood up in the wagon bed and before she could call out felt a rumble from underneath her.

She was jerked off her feet and slammed back into the bed of the wagon on her back as it was yanked to the side. She sat up and saw Chouji's back pressed against the wagon. The wheels on the far side gave out and the wagon lurched to the side.

Calling on all her balance she leapt to her feet and grabbed the client, in this case a sack of flour, and leapt clear of the twisted wood. "Clear!" She yelled. In front of Chouji a pillar of stone shot up out of the ground.

She could see Shino was already on his way back but it would take him a few minutes still. Tenten was at her side, a small targe in one hand and a hooked short-spear in the other.

"Just like daisies." She said, grinning at Hinata.

There was a sharp bark from Chouji, "Baiku!" And his good hand grew, gripping the log on his back like a fist pack it shot out and shattered the pillar of stone in a spray of stone fragments.

"They're trying to draw us out, there's four of them around here." Tenten said, her voice lighthearted.

"How long till Shino gets back?" Chouji said, not looking at Hinata.

Her vision narrowed and shot forward and she caught sight of the bug-nin. Her heart leapt into her throat. "There's three of them attack him right now."

Tenten's eyes scanned the rocky landscape. "Not constructs or clones but three shinobi?"

Hinata's eyes clouded in doubt. "If they're shadow clones I wouldn't know."

Chouji shook his head. "Too much chakra wasted for a diversion." He turned back catch Tenten's eye.

"You two got this one?" He asked, sounded worried.

Tenten nodded, "We're fine. It's still two on one here, go help Shino." Chouji nodded and Hinata saw him do something with his wrists. He flung the weights attached there high into the air and then did the same to his ankle weights. He was already out of sight when they crashed to the ground, heaving clouds of dust into the area.

* * *

Chouji's legs elongated as he activated his bloodline, rocketing him through the undergrowth at a breakneck pace. As he neared the battle the first ninja barely had time to register the growing red blur before the Akimichi took him off his feet with a baiku-enhanced punch that left one of his sandals where it had been on the ground.

He hadn't meant to hit the shinobi that hard and was somewhat grateful when the clone hit a boulder and exploded in muddy chunks. Shino's bugs were buzzing around him in an angry cloud and he was bleeding slightly from his temple but otherwise unharmed.

He spoke calmly, his eyes scanning the rocky ground around them. "The large one is a melee ranged type, mostly physical attacks. The female is not an earth type but they've practiced extensively to utilize her water jutsus to their advantage and the last is a medium range-type, heavy on earth ninjutsu."

Chouji nodded his understanding and heard a scraping ruffle from the ground to their left, he turned, his stance fluid and saw the earth spit out what had to be the melee range fighter. He was on his side and as his body turned facedown, limply he saw the reason why. A host of Shino's bugs were attached at the back of his neck and between his shoulders.

"He will not be combat ready for several days." Shino surmised and ignored the ground-spawned shinobi.

Chouji nodded and kept his back to the Aburame, also scanning. "We should start heading back to Tenten and Hinata." He said, after a few minutes of silence.

Shino concurred and they took off at a trot. Chouji had elected to carry the Iwa shinobi with him and since it wouldn't slow them down and Shino agreed. "We don't know what kind of predators are around here."

If they had expected anything it wasn't the somber group that they found. The last two Iwa nin as well as Hinata and Tenten were looking into a hole that looked as though it had just been dug.

"There's no genjutsu at work here." Shino's placid voice broke the silence and the group of shinobi turned back to them.

The two Iwa nin seemed to come out of a trance and assumed fighting stances, the female of the two wore a facemask but it was stained with wet tracts of tears almost down to her shoulders. Dust had begun to stick to it making it look like it was made of mud.

"Put him down!" The male commanded, his own voice sounding rough.

Chouji obeyed, placing the Iwa nin on the ground gently and sidestepping to put distance between them. "We don't take hostages in Konoha." He explained. "He's just unconscious, I didn't want any animals to..."

The thought when unfinished as the wind shifted and brought the choking scent of blood to his nose. He turned to the source, the hole and looked at Hinata who was staring at him in concern. "Hinata...what happened?"

She stepped towards him, "It...it was an accident, Chouji-kun...it was nobodies fault."

_Did she kill one of them? _He thought, trying to figure out what had happened. It would be pretty hard for Hinata to accidentally kill someone, the jyuken discipline was precision based and nothing was done without intent.

_Tenten maybe? _It was possible that one of her barrages had hit a vital organ but even then, the shinobi would have had to move into it...dodged incorrectly to die. Tenten could split senbon with her accuracy.

He made his way to the hole and Tenten held out a hand. "Seeing wont help, lets just keep moving."

Something in her voice spurred him on though and he trotted the last few steps to the holes edge. Still half buried inside was the last Iwa nin. A boy no older than fourteen stared up at him, his eyes glazed and still. Where his chest had been there was only a brace of ankle weights.

"I just...it was for Hinata...the dust. She would be the only one that could see. I didn't mean to..." He stammered and Shino placed a hand on his shoulder. Chouji hadn't even noticed him approaching.

"We can talk about this after the exam, Chouji. We need to keep moving. The next group will be overtaking us in half an hour."

Chouji nodded woodenly and picked up their client.

* * *

"They're gone." Kiba said quietly, his back still turned to Shikamaru. "I still don't know why we're waiting here."

Shikamaru's customary slouch was gone, he turned towards the four Oto nin on the ground behind him, bound in looping coils of shadow. Their eyes boiled hatred at him and he could see their mouths tensing.

"We've won a battle, Kiba...but Konoha is at war. No one likes to admit it, but Oto is led by Orochimaru and he's not going to stop until Konoha is destroyed." He began constricting the shadows around their necks. "The problem with Orochimaru is that he spins a pretty good tale. You go to him, he gives you power like you've never dreamed. For people that have trained the entirety of their cognitive lives to become stronger...that's a pretty easy tune to dance to."

Their struggles became frantic as their airways closed off. He was thankful that Kiba hadn't noticed yet.

"I want everyone to know that while Orochimaru does give power...nothing is without consequence."

The first loud snap broke the stillness followed quickly by the second and third as Shikamaru broke their necks. It was as humane as he was willing to be with Oto nin.

"No!" Kiba yelled and lunged forward but it was obvious he was already too late. The last snap brought him up short.

Shikamaru turned to him, his eyes hidden behind the leather band. "That was the least of it."

* * *

Temari looked bored. Her elbow rested on her knee and the joining hand was propping up her head as she tried to stay awake. In her other hand were the reigns to the wagon that she occasionally flicked halfheartedly. Kankuro sat behind her in the wagon, guarding both their 'client' and the four Kirigakure nin that had been attacking them.

The four had been knocked out with a sleeping gas version of Crow's poison attack. He had intentionally missed and she had sent the cloud straight through the lot of them with a wind swipe.

She considered it odd that the same technique that had been used to defeat both her and Kankuro in the last exam is exactly the first thing she ended up using to win in the second. A year of teamwork drills and an infinitely better home life had helped dissolve most of the issues they had had with working together.

This time they had been escorting their brother, not as a balm for his constant struggle with insanity, but as true siblings and as a Kazekage's escort.

She was still ridiculously proud of him but she had to temper his work habits somewhat. He was still trying to make up for the all the wrong he had done during his illness and coincidentally was running himself into the ground.

_Time heals everything though. _She thought optimistically.

The horse reeled before she caught the smell as well, dancing in it's harness and snorting. "Kankuro." She said in warning but he was already standing as well, or rather his puppet was standing. The bandaged package the puppet carried is where he really was.

"I smell it." He said, looking tense. He had thrown his hood back and his spiky brown hair ruffled in the faint breeze.

They had placed the escort inside of his Black Ant puppet. The client was relatively safe for now and they both turned to the road ahead.

They rounded a curve and Kankuro point off to the south side of the road. "There." He said grimly.

Four nin, the Oto group on closer inspection, were hanging from boulders in a rough line along the road. Temari's nose wrinkled in distaste but in her mind death was death. By the look of the bodies they had been killed prior to being butchered. There just wasn't enough blood to indicate otherwise.

The bodies had been stripped naked and had been hung by their entrails, across their chests was a message in large kanji. On the first body, "Witness" then "Orochimaru's" and the last two were "Glory".

"Didn't that lazy, blind guy take this group on?" Kankuro said. His voice wasn't tense but he wasn't sitting anymore either.

Temari only nodded.

"I'm guessing he's a little angry at Orochimaru." Kankuro said, sitting back down in the wagon bed.

Temari snorted. "Didn't think anyone from Konoha had it in them."

* * *

Deidara was quiet though his excitement was palpable to the other two members of the demolition squad. They had marked down the ravine where the trap was the be sprung, it wasn't visible except to their high vantage point.

The Konoha group was just passing into the ravine and they all waited silently as they made their way on foot. They were traveling markedly faster without the wagon impeding their progress and had already overtaken the Kirigakure escort group. It was no matter though, the trap was marked for both types.

As they entered the ambush sight Deidara detonated the explosives at the top of the gorge. Boulders the size of small housed began to tumble down towards the Konoha team as they stared stupidly upwards.

Deidara licked his lips and watched in growing concern as the large one, an Akimichi by his look and armor, handed over their charge to the smallest member of their party. He stamped his foot a few times in the same place and although they couldn't hear what he yelled over the pounding avalanche of rock that was gaining strength the result was immediately obvious. His arm grew a hundred times its normal size and he swept aside the avalanche as if he were cleaning a chalkboard.

"Well thats...thats..." He spluttered. "That's just not fair!"

* * *

Shikamaru ignored the returning shinobi, he'd placed the bodies so that both escorts and attackers would have to pass it. _A message without an audience is just talking to yourself. _

The Kusanagi was growing more and more agitated as the shinobi stared at them. While he was loath to lose his new-found quasi-sight he commanded her into sword form and was instead content to place the tip of the sword in the ground and only listen for vibrations.

He still wore no sandals and his feet were incredibly sore.

_**They'll get tougher. **_The sword assured him.

He was sitting on a rock when Hinata's voice broke the silence. "Shikamaru-san...I think you need to speak with Chouji...something happened during our escort." He waited while the Hyuga explained the accidental death during their portion of the exam.

"Ino will talk him through it, that proctor guy will be releasing us soon." He said tiredly. They'd been running since they got to Iwa, only that small break in their rooms since they'd arrived and it hadn't exactly been restful for him.

Deidara put paid to the notion they'd get some rest as he spoke to the remaining shinobi. "As promised half of you were disqualified, a little over half actually. Eight village teams remain and the next part of your exam begins right now. I will not be proctoring for this portion but you'll see my handiwork throughout the rest of the exam, you'll have to tell me if you enjoy it."

One of the Kiri nin, who was nursing a goose-egg on his head glared at the proctor who only beamed happily at the groups.

Deidara gestured to the cone-shaped mountain behind him. "Your next exam will begin there. Up up, little genin and meet the next proctor at the foot of it along this road. No fighting along the way." He admonished with a finger held up to punctuate.

Shikamaru stood with a groan. Either this set of tests was meant to test their endurance or they all were. Which meant that even after this next exam they had two more, likely before they'd receive rest.

Tenten was talking with Kiba in quiet whispers asking what was wrong with him. Shino had commented on how pale the boy looked and Shikamaru offered no explanation. He hadn't asked Kiba to keep quiet about what he had seen but he hoped it was implied.

The night was just beginning to give way to day as they set off, heading towards the mountain in the distance. It wasn't a long trip but it was certainly slow. Only Shino didn't appear to be tired and Shikamaru theorized it was due to the fact that Shino rarely looked like he experienced any sort of discomfort or emotion.

Chouji handed out soldier pills as they reached the base of the mountain though Kiba declined, having brought some of his own. "Save them in case there's fighting." He told them.

The second proctor was a boulder of a man, wider than he was tall with a bulbous nose. He wore a wide grin that never seemed to slip from his face even when he was talking.

"Second exam! Congratulations on making it this far. The next exam is a maze. One the Tsuchikage made himself. The object is to get from this entrance to the exit on the far side of the mountain. The last six people to exit at the far side lose."

Shikamaru spoke up, "That's it, no other rules?"

The proctor shook his massive head. "Although I would like to ask the Konoha team to exercise a bit more restraint on this one."

Chouji covered up a groan with a cough and Hinata patted his shoulder. Kiba looked at the torn Akimichi and shook his head. "He's not talking about you Chouji." He turned and stared at Shikamaru, not quite trusting the Nara anymore.

The other genin tried to get more out of Kiba but he ignored them.

"Team size restrictions are removed for the remainder of the exam. Ready...go!"

Shikamaru felt more than he saw as sixteen shinobi rushed the mountain all at once. A few scuffles broke out but for the most part they were gone within minutes.

Chouji turned to him, "Shika?"

Shino didn't allow him to explain though. "Suna approaches."

Temari haled them and they all exchanged pleasantries. Kiba was taciturn for once but everyone else was friendly. Once they had finished Kankuro asked the obvious, "You guys have something brewing, we figured we get in on it."

"I don't like tight places." Temari said quietly.

"This wont take very long." Shikamaru began walking, his hands in his pockets.

* * *

The Tsuchikage glared at Akatsuchi as eight shinobi, six from Konoha and the Suna siblings, walked at an easy pace from the east base of the mountain. They didn't increase their speed, seeming to take their pace from the one blind member of their party that was rumored to have butchered the sound team.

_Good, dirty fighting Oto nin should have been picked up as soon as they showed their faces. _

He rubbed his back and groaned expressively.

"Ok, Onoki-sama?" Akatsuchi asked and he waved off his guard.

"I'm fine. This is a little ridiculous though, you didn't tell them they had to go _through _the maze?" He asked in a low voice as he watched the eight shinobi make apologetic faces in their direction and walk into the exit of the maze before reappearing again, walking out.

Akatsuchi only shrugged, still smiling.

_It'll be six hours before we see another team, and that's if they beat the record. _He harrumphed. _So much for endurance testing. _

He watched as the Konoha team and the Suna team set a mutual guard, readied a quick campsite complete with a fire and a small cauldron of field-stew. They fed themselves quickly and were sleeping soundly before the first Iwa teams made it out.

He had to suppress a smile though and chose not to wake them up. _We outsmarted ourselves, no sense being poor losers about it. _

The Konoha/Suna team was awakened by their posted guard as the last few people began filtering out of the cavern. They packed up their camp quickly and had just doused the fire as Akatsuchi separated the losers from the remaining shinobi.

Once he had their attention he began speaking. "Your next test is to figure out where and when the last test is. If you don't find out within three days, you forfeit." He turned and his knee buckled. He yelled something inarticulate and Akatsuchi picked him up.

"I'll take you Onoki-sama." The giant said amiably. His hip was throbbing fiercely and he forgot to yell at the shinobi on principle.

* * *

Shikamaru ambled into the Iwa apartment. He hadn't run into a single thing the entire trip back and he was feeling rather pleased with himself.

Anko was already there and he could smell...some sort of cooking. "You're back." She said, sounding a little less enthusiastic than he'd hoped.

"I can come back later if you want." He said, meaning it as a joke.

"Yeah, beat it for a while. I'm not done in here and you're botching the surprise." She said and sniffed at something. He saw her faint outline leaning over a pot on a small stove. She tasted whatever it was she was brewing and spit it directly out again.

Shikamaru chuckled, "I don't think I could come back late enough for that to be done." He felt something slip past his ear and thunk into the wall behind him. He touched the stinging spot on his earlobe gently. Sure enough it came back with a dab of blood

"Watch it, Nara. I've been at this for the last three hours." She grumbled, sounding decidedly annoyed.

He made his way towards the kitchen and sat at a bar-stool behind her and across the counter. "I didn't know you could cook." He said, trying to figure out why she felt the need to now.

"I can't." She said tersely.

He made a non-committal noise. "Why start now?"

"I don't know how to do this!" She rounded on him.

Shikamaru nodded, "I can smell that."

"That's not what I meant you moron. I don't know how to be with someone. I was watching Ino and she cooked for Chouji, I thought that would be a good place to start but I suck at this. Worse...it's boring as hell." He saw a silvery streak in the snake's vision as she hurled a wooden spoon across the room and out the open window.

"So help me, Shikamaru...if you crack a smile I'm throwing you in the pot." She said, though she seemed to be on the edge of laughter.

"I like that." He said, bringing her up short.

She leaned towards him and grunted, "Didn't peg you to be someone that enjoyed being boiled alive...but ok."

"I meant my name." He said, smiling anyway.

She turned back to the stove and shook her head, "I know what you meant."

They were silent for long minutes until he broke it. "It smells like you boiled the couch."

"Just for color."

He gestured at the door, "Want to get some takeout?"

"Yeah, and lets get a new room, that smell is in the paint by now." He held out his hand and she placed it on her shoulder. "Let us never speak of this thing called 'Instant Ramen' again."

Shikamaru coughed, "That was instant ramen?"

"Yeah?" She asked, her tone going frosty.

"No reason." He said, retreating.

Anko sniffed grumpily, "If they wanted it out of the package before I added water they should have said so."

_

* * *

_

"Was she prettier than me?" Anko asked, pitching her voice higher and speaking out of her nose like a Sasuke fan-girl.

Shikamaru glared at her, "I was a little busy carving the kanji symbols for Orochimaru's name in her back to notice if she was cute."

Anko slurped noisily at her ramen. "Avoiding questions is the first sign."

"She was less scary than you, it's not like I can see what she looked like." Anko licked the side of his face.

"Bleh...wasabi breath." He wiped off the wet smear.

She belched, loud and long and then patted her stomach. "Going to have to open a window tonight or we'll be dead by morning." Someone made a disgusted sound from behind him but he had placed the Kusanagi in her sword form for the meal as pets weren't allowed in the restaurant.

Anko turned towards the offended woman, "You don't fart, lady? I can teach you how...you just lift your..."

Shikamaru whispered a quick, "Anko!"

"Oh fine, take away all my fun." She said turning back. "What do you think the next test is?" She asked, a little quieter now.

He shrugged, "If the progression of exams is any indication it'll be a leadership test. Anything more specific than that and I'd be guessing. Chunin are, for the most part, expected to be squad leaders."

Anko went back to eating, "What do you mean, progression?" She said, her mouth full.

He swallowed before he began to speak, "The first test made us pick one ourselves. The second allowed people to switch to the better leader, the third was a delegation exercise...it stands to reason that the fourth will be a test of the actual leader, probably during a combat situation. It's likely to stress the difference between popularity and proficiency."

"Shouldn't you be out figuring out where and when it is?" She asked, tapping his shin with her foot.

He shook his head, "I'm not the best suited for that sort of work. Chouji put Hinata and Shino on it, I expect we'll know what it is by morning."

"Want to see the sights tomorrow?" She asked and then laughed before he could answer. "I kill me."

He waited for her laughter to die down, " I was actually thinking the same thing. It's unlikely we'll be back here with free time on our hands, I wouldn't mind visiting some of the more famous sculptures. I've heard that the proctor in the first exam is renowned for his own work. Hopefully they'll let me touch some of it."

"It's not fun if it doesn't hurt your feelings, Nara." She said, sticking out her lip.

He chuckled, "Sorry, I'll be hurt twice next time."

"DANGO!" She yelled out of the blue, causing him to jump in his seat. A waiter came by shortly afterwards.

He spoke in a calm if somewhat strained voice, "Would you like any dessert, madam?"

There was a long moment, "You didn't hear me? I thought I was really loud."

"Dango for the...lady." He turned towards Shikamaru. "For you, sir?"

"More of the same, she'll probably eat mine too." He said, trying to find out where to look to catch the waiters eyes. In a lower voice he said. "No more sake."

"Dango dango dango."

* * *

_Got a little long and decided to cut it off. Hopefully I'll be able to tie it up with the next chapter. Read and enjoy.  
_

_Anbu-Dave  
_


	13. Chapter 13: Effort vs Effect

Chapter 13: Effort vs Effect

Anko smacked her lips and opened a single eye, searching for a clock. None found and much the happier for it she closed her eye again, stretched and began snoring lightly. Shikamaru had gone for breakfast not long ago. How he was going to bring it back without taking a header was the real question but it sounded like a good idea to her too.

_That's the problem with men. _She remarked to herself while dozing lazily. _You toss them around in bed and they get all sweet on you. _

Still, he'd been gone overly long now and she wondered if maybe he hadn't cracked his head open on the way up the stairs.

Just as she was about to force herself from the warm bed the door opened softly and she peeked from behind half closed eyelids at the returning Nara.

"What'd you get?" She asked, turning onto her back and stretching again.

Shikamaru turned towards the sound of her voice and peered at her quizzically. "Eggs on rice and potatoes."

"Sounds delicious." She purred. _I guess I can get used to this sort of thing. _

His voice was guarded now. "It was."

She sat up, her eyes still bleary. "You didn't bring me back any?"

"How would I bring it back? I'd kill myself on the stairs." He said, throwing his hands up.

She fell back down on the pillow. "It'd be closer than it is now, either way." She grumped, turning on her side so she was facing away from him. The effect was lost as he couldn't see her but it felt fine just the same.

"Now you smell like food too. You could have waited."

Shikamaru sighed, "It's almost noon, Anko."

"Or woke me up."

"I tried, you pulled a kunai on me." His tone was growing dangerously bored.

"I did that for real? I thought I dreamt that." She sat up finally and leaned against the headboard. "Well, I'm up now. What are we doing today?"

Hey lay down on the bed next to her with his hands behind his head and blew out of his mouth noisily. "I have to meet up with the other genin. If Hinata and Shino haven't figured out the next test by now we have to come up with another plan."

"I can't believe I'm sleeping with a genin. I'll never be able to poke fun at Kakashi again." Shikamaru ignored her taunt and she poked him in the ribs.

"When's the meeting?" She asked, leaning closer. She checked her breath and remarked that it was particularly foul this morning. Sake did it every time.

Shikamaru spoke in a lazy drawl, "Now, I just stopped by to see if you were awake."

"Important thing, the sleeping habit of bed-buddies." She nodded and then licked his nose. She rolled out of bed to the sweet music of his disgusted sounds and began rooting around for her clothing.

"It's too bad you're blind, you'd be weeping right now." She said, looking at herself in a mirror.

"My eyes are watering, does that count?" He said, still wiping at his already red nose.

She pulled on her mesh body-suit. "I have to meet with the other jonin too, we didn't find out much about your competition but they felt the need to bring up the mutual failure in a group setting." She found her mini-skirt hanging from a lampshade and pulled that on as well. "It's going to be a pisser with the Hokage there. She'd bitch if she was hung with a new rope."

She belted the miniskirt in place and pulled on her sandals. "I'll find you a bit later. I have a few errands to run after the jonin thing."

"How will you find me?" He asked, turning his head towards her.

"I'm a jonin."

He faced the ceiling again, "No one showed _me _any magical location techniques when I made jonin."

Anko patted his head condescendingly, "Only the good ones can do it."

Then she was off, she leapt through the open window and onto a nearby roof. Of all the things to like about a place she preferred their roofs. Konoha roofing was primarily tiles and you had to glue yourself to any surface that was more than slightly slanted. Iwakagure roofs were made of the same stone as the rest of the build and though they were steeper, they were also exceedingly rough and easy to grip with your sandals.

_I wonder if I could get away with sending a clone to the meeting. _It would almost be worth the chakra drain if they were still in Konoha but she decided against it. Orochimaru was still out and about and she didn't want to be working with half her chakra if someone came calling for her Nara.

She leapt over the next roof and dropped to the street with a heavy thud and a muffled scream from a nearby shopper.

She'd found the place the night before and though it hadn't been open she had marked it in her mind for today. "Dango please." She said, looking at the man expectantly.

* * *

"...don't know why, with the majority of the top jonin of the village, that I can't get a few simple dossiers made up for potential..."

Anko found herself drifting in and out of the Hokage's tirade. She hoped her brain would pick up anything that was specifically directed at her but for the most part she let it wander. In retrospect, yawning probably didn't help the Hokage's mood.

"Am I boring you, Mitarashi Anko?" The Hokage hissed.

She finished the yawn. _I'm going to pay for it, mine as well. _"No, Hokage-sama. Late night."

She felt the floor trembling underneath her and realized it was from the Hokage tapping her foot. "Do you have any ideas on how to solve this problem?"

She saw Kakashi's eyes squint and his facemask wrinkled in a distinctive grin. _Laugh it up, Copycat._

She placed her hands behind her back as though she were showing deference to the Hokage and used the Anbu sign language so that Kakashi and the rest of the jonin present could see it.

_"I'm going to kick you in the crotch so hard you'll be using that eye-patch for a belt."_

Several things all happened at once. Asuma covered a laugh with a cough, Kurenai tried and failed to suppress a smile and was forced to look up at the ceiling. Kakashi cleared his throat, covering where his mouth would be. When he looked back up the smile was gone though.

"Play your games but your genin are the ones that are going to pay for your ineptitude." The Hokage growled and they all quieted.

Tsunade crossed her arms underneath her generous bosom. "So how do we fix the problem?"

There was a pregnant silence. Finally it was broken as Kurenai spoke, "Their academy would have files, getting caught would mean disqualification though.

Asuma chimed it, "At best. It only covers the Iwa genin too."

The Hokage smacked her hands together and rubbed them vigorously. "Alright. We have a start. Who wants that mission?"

Asuma raised his hand. _Probably afraid there will be a tougher assignment coming. _

"You're about as subtle as a samurai, Asuma." She said, grinning.

The Hokage made an offhand gesture. "Then you do it, Anko."

_Babyshit beanpaste!_

"Yes, Hokage-sama." She said, bowing slightly, mostly to hide her teeth grinding.

* * *

_Alright...can't beat this out of someone, not allowed to be seen and I have to memorize any information I find._

She suppressed a sigh. _This sucks._

* * *

"Ugh...I smell like children. Hormonal children." Anko griped while flapping her coat.

Shikamaru held on to her shoulder as they walked. "You are what you eat, they say."

"You wouldn't be making fun if you had to cozy up with a handsy twelve year old for a bit of intel." She shuddered slightly and made a disgusted sound.

Shikamaru chuckled, the first she'd heard him laugh in days and she allowed herself to feel a little pride for it. "So what sort of sights can a blind guy enjoy?"

"Anything that doesn't have to be seen through the eyes of a snake is fine by me." He replied, fingering the sheath on his back.

Anko snorted, "I'd rather do that then not see at all. You think you're good enough for the final exam?"

Before he could answer she stopped and turned to him, "Hey, did those twits figure out when and where it's happening?"

Shikamaru nodded, "What it is too, we'll have a few days to prepare. We're getting together later tonight for planning."

Anko whistled, "You guys are like...real shinobi or something."

"Be nice."

She started walking again and he followed. "Not likely. What is it?"

It was Shikamaru's turn to bring them up short, "You mean you don't know?" He asked, grinning now.

"That wasn't my mission." She said defensively, tossing her hair out of her face. "I don't really care what it is. What I want to know is how you plan on getting through it when everyone but you has a pair of peepers."

He shook his head, "I can't." He gestured for her to keep walking and they made their way down the street. "I don't really want to talk about it, I'll be dealing with it probably most of the night. I want to feel some sculptures."

She resisted the urge to smack him one and continued on. _What the hell does that mean? I can't... _

* * *

Shikamaru nodded in the general direction of Shino's voice. "That's not all it means though, or even necessarily what we should plan for. A village on village battle is the same stuff they started feeding us from the get go. Anyone remember what Deidara said in the beginning?"

Hinata nodded and spoke first, "Sorry, he said we'd naturally form villages." She squeaked.

Shikamaru nodded, "He also said that he didn't have to make it a rule because we'd do it ourselves."

Kiba raised a finger in the air as if he'd had a breakthrough, "They assumed we'd win!"

Shikamaru sighed and shook his head, "No, Kiba. It means that we were never told to fight as Konoha or as Suna." He said, gesturing to what he hoped was their corner. They hadn't spoken for a while yet. "He had us pick a leader that people would follow but why would we follow another village's shinobi? If we'd chosen a leader collectively we could have set terms for the rest of the test."

Kankuro spoke first, confirming they were still in the same area he'd thought they were. "Half the people would still have been cut." He countered.

"No leader is ever expected to be perfect. Unavoidable losses are acceptable losses with a goal of greater value. We would have lost half our village in the first test, an additional six people in the second but we could have easily avoided injury during the first test, rested before completing the second and we'd take no losses for this one." He scratched at the side of his cheek.

Tenten spoke and he could hear her throwing a kunai into the air and catching it in the palm of her hand. "You'll never get the others to agree to this."

Shikamaru grinned rakishly. "I wouldn't want to. Listen..."

* * *

Orochimaru smiled in spite of himself. His sword lay not an arms length away from him and it could have been on the moon for how much good it did. It didn't enrage him every time he saw it and now but the added smell of Anko in the room wasn't helping his temper.

It was time to push the Nara boy over the edge.

Kabuto had already made sure that Anko wouldn't be interrupting him. The silver haired shinobi had used a little more finesse than he himself would have but the job was completed and that was all that mattered.

He watched the Nara's chest rise and fall in a steady rhythm. He could hear the dull thrum of the boys heart and as intoxicating as the idea was to end it he was on other business. Slowly his mouth opened and his tongue snaked out, impossibly long and just as strong.

Gently he drew it across the boys cheek. "Wake up, Shikamaru."

The Nara's eyes flew open and the sanin could feel his chakra building. "Finish the jutsu and she dies." He said calmly, his voice silky and ever-amused.

With a visible effort, Shikamaru released his chakra, his hand still remained fastened on the blade as if would jump up on it's own.

"What do you want, Orochimaru?"

"Peace, but we'll start with what you've learned so far." He said, letting the tension in the Nara build.

Shikamaru pushed himself back in the bed so his back rested against the headboard and tried to look in the general direction of the snake-nin. "What do you mean?" He asked guardedly.

Orochimaru clucked in a disappointed manner. "I'd have thought you would have figured it out by now, Shikamaru-kun." His voice dripped with honey. "I gave you all the pieces but you still can't solve the riddle?"

"What are you talking about?" He asked, his voice strained. In fear or anger he couldn't tell.

He slid forward silently. "I'll give you one last hint." He smiled in the darkness, his eyes glowing hotly. "Would you want to be the same person you were before I put you in the pit? Sweet...kind..." He paused, watching him closely. "...weak."

"Oh I see..." He started, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "...you just threw me into a pit full of your failed experiments to teach me to be stronger."

Only Orochimaru's rich chuckle answered him at first. "Poor Shika-kun. What if I told you that you could go back to being that sweet, innocent boy that you killed?"

"You killed him!" Shikamaru seethed.

"He never died. The place you were doesn't exist and the people you fought, never lived." He let the thought sink in before continuing. "I will...admit that at first it was to retrieve the Kusanagi. It never chooses an unworthy successor though and I came to realize that as an enemy, you would be easy to crush...but as an ally..." He left it hanging in the air.

"You were placed in a genjutsu. A genjutsu that I controlled, a world for you that I made. Where I could teach you the harsh lessons that Konoha has kept from you, knowledge you were denied about the nature of things. I did that to show you that their way of thinking is flawed...they're flawed." Orochimaru smiled into the darkness even though the Nara couldn't see it.

"Even now you apply those same teachings. When you figured out this pathetic exam, your plan was to crush the opposition. Not appeal to their sensibilities or plead for sanity. To impose your will on them because it would be less costly in the long term."

"I was there for your plan, I heard every word and it's brilliant. Perfect in simplicity."

Shikamaru shook his head, "You're lying...evil bastard."

"Evil is only a word. I was given that label to wrest logic away from leadership. Sacrifice is a necessity but you..." He chuckled. "...you Shikamaru-kun, could make the sacrifice so much less and not only have you planned to win the exam and ensure every one of your allies survives and passes. You've also engineered the reversal of an economic slump around it."

The boy's mouth worked but no sound came out. He continued on. "Could that _boy _I took do this? Could he make the hard decision to the benefit of the larger picture? Could he slaughter those four sound shinobi and butcher them to make his village that much safer?" He chuckled again.

"We know the answer to that, Shika-kun." He moved closer to the bed.

Shikamaru shook his head in confusion. "Why...why let me go?"

"I don't want a prisoner! I want an ally. I illuminated your mind in that black cave but there is no light without dark. So I released you, I wanted you to come back and see what is so glaring to me...what is so flawed with our village. With Konoha." The snake sanin became quiet. "I left you to find out on your own and I had hoped that someone would test your newfound knowledge. Someone that would ask you to accept a falsehood because it was more pleasing than reality."

Shikamaru nodded his face torn between loathing and acceptance, "I...they did." The boy ran his hands through his hair. "You killed my parents."

"No, your mother was a prisoner but well treated and healthy when I released her. The Kusanagi killed her. Your father...was unfortunate. Kabuto awaits your judgement for his actions. His life belongs to you."

Orochimaru licked his lips. _He feels at the brink. _

"How can I believe you?" He asked, his eyes blindly searching in the dark.

"Logic, Shika-kun. A weapon far more powerful than any sword and one you wield with great skill." He sat down in a chair next to the bed, feeling confident that the boy wouldn't attack quite yet. "What logic would it make for me to put your life in danger? If all I wanted was the sword, your death would have sealed it from this plane."

"My scars..." He started.

Orochimaru leaned forward. "Part of the genjutsu. With a lesser mind I could have been less precise in the world I created but if I was to make it believable..." He left the statement open and spread his hands.

He had little doubt the Nara could see him, even in the short time he'd had with the sword it would have taught him that much.

"What do you want from me?" He asked, his voice raw.

"Nothing." He answered immediately. As the silence stretched out after his declaration Shikamaru tensed.

Orochimaru only chuckled, "If you expected more, Shikamaru then your logic is failing you. Simply existing and knowing that the only true evil is ignorance and indecision, you are all I hoped for."

Shikamaru shook his head, "What do you want for Konoha?"

"Survival, Shikamaru. There's a group that is gathering demon vessels. They're led by a madman bent on the destruction of our world. The Konoha council knows about them, your Hokage, Tsunade is intimately familiar with them and you've met two of them. They're coming and no amount of well-meaning political maneuvering is going to stop them. Hard decisions must be made and men with the best interests of their village in mind must make them."

Shikamaru's head swiveled to take in Orochimaru and the sanin smiled into the dark at him. "You shouldn't take what I've said at face value, Shikamaru. It would be against logic. Think about it, take as long as you need. If you find a single flaw in any aspect of what I've told you...inform your _Hokage_."

_Now the nail in the coffin. _"Regardless of what you decide, your blindness was a stupid coincidence of events and if you desire vision again I can return it to you." Orochimaru forced himself to breath normally.

"Where is Anko?" The boy asked, ignoring his offer. His fingernails almost cut the skin of his palm in annoyance.

He forced his tone to be neutral and conversational. "Only on a false errand. She learned the same lesson we did but our...history clouded her outcome. I should not have allowed myself to indulge in her infatuation with me and I lost a valuable ally for a few months of distraction."

He stood from the chair fluidly. "She should be returning shortly and a reunion would only result in bloodshed. Think about what I said, Shikamaru."

Then he was gone.

* * *

Anko blurred through the streets. _Was probably Kabuto, that bootlicking toady!_

Somewhere behind her she could hear Asuma trying to catch up but she pushed herself harder, barely skimming over the rooftops of Iwakagure in a blur.

As she ran she palmed a handful of kunai and leapt into the air, wrapping the handles with exploding tags. She braced herself and really pumped some chakra into her legs, catapulting herself upwards in an arc. She spun once and released the three kunai and tracked them as them struck the stone wall of their building and sunk into the sandstone up to the rings.

There was a deep THUMP and a ball of orange fire blossomed in her vision. _That out to wake up those worthless Iwa turds. _The fire dissipated just as her body was enveloped by the smoke. She flexed her knees and hoped she wasn't landing on anything pointy.

Her left foot caught on something and sent her tumbling into their room. She crashed into the far wall, pushing furniture in front of her but thankfully she didn't hit hard or awkwardly. She made it to her feet quickly and spun about looking for Orochimaru.

She heard a soft coughing but didn't allow herself to relax. "Come out, you half-man! It's about time someone rammed a kunai up your ass!"

"He's gone, Anko." She heard Shikamaru's choked voice from the darkness.

She turned towards him, a senbon palmed in her left hand and a kunai visible in the right. "Say something, Shikamaru-ish." She almost yelled, her eyes narrowed and her breathing fast.

"You're ticklish. I think my nose is still crooked from finding that out." Came the reply and she sighed, relaxing somewhat.

She kept the senbon palmed and jogged towards his voice. "You're not hurt?" She asked, trying to keep the concern out of her voice. _No sense giving him a fat head. _She thought, trying to calm down her hammering heart.

She spotted him in the gloom and grinned to herself. "I'm fine, it's just been a rough night." He said, his shoulders drooping. "Almost being blown up didn't help matters."

She grabbed him up and hugged him, feelings be damned.

He shouted as she touched him, "No!" Then two needles struck her arm and injected boiling lead into her veins.

Blackness rushed up on her and the only thing that followed down that well was the sounds of someone shrieking.

* * *

"There's...nothing I can do. It's not a venom or even a poison as we would understand it. It's ever changing. Only her built-up tolerance is keeping her alive at this point. She'll succumb to it eventually and likely without ever regaining consciousness." Tsunade made a sickened sound and shook her head. She was sweating freely and an array of poultices and raw herbs were spread out on the table next to her.

"Stop treating her." Shikamaru said, hollowly.

Asuma nodded somberly and the Hokage said nothing.

"Slow it down as much as you can, but no more anti-venom." This time Asuma looked at him, concern lighting in his eyes. He had the Hokage's full attention as well.

He pulled the Kusanagi from it's sheath with a look of pure revulsion on his face. It was time to face Orochimaru. He had the answer to the snake sanin's logic problem.

"No." The Hokage said firmly.

He only smiled. "You didn't even hear my idea."

"I can feel the killing intent."

"Don't follow me. I don't know if I can fight two sanin." Asuma began to speak and then stiffened visibly as the Kagemane struck him and Tsunade as well. He tied their shadows to the ground and pumped enough chakra to last, he hoped, long enough to lose them.

Asuma growled and tried to lift his legs, his feet glued to the floor. Tsunade only stood passively, measuring the Nara with her eyes. She had gestured for the two anbu to halt as they made their way towards the Nara, ready to kill him.

Shikamaru was gone, quick as the blink of an eye. She heard him hit something on his way down the hallway and shook her head.

She lifted her feet easily. The Kagemane held but the floor beneath it did not and she was slightly taller as she walked back to Anko's stretcher with an inch thick layer of granite attached to the soles of her feet.

"Get me out of this!" Asuma raged. "He's going after Orochimaru."

Tsunade stared at him with unreadable eyes.

* * *

Orochimaru smiled to himself as the Nara turned to face him. He hadn't even called out, he'd known the sanin was watching him. He'd only gone to a remote place where they could speak.

"Have you thought about it, Shikamaru-kun?" He asked, his voice silken and confident.

The Nara boy nodded, facing slightly to the left of where Orochimaru actually was. "I have." He said, his voice calm.

"This is no trap, you agree then?" He said, his grin broadening until his perfect white teeth glinted in the moonlight.

"This is not a trap but I am going to kill you." His hand blurred together in the same symbols he'd learned since he could walk and a wall of shadow detached itself from the ground and flew up between them.

Orochimaru snarled and lunched forward, closing the distance between them in a blink. He crashed through the shadows, shattering them only to find the Nara gone.

"Kagesochi no jutsu." Shikamaru snarled, wiping the Kusanagi around in a glimmering arc as he appeared from a shadow behind the sanin.

Orochimaru blinked and ducked as the fabled blade passed through the air where his neck had been. His senses sharpened and his reflexes took over as his predicament unfolded. All around him, in a hundred yards was a shadow, a pool of unfathomable black.

He struck out, ramming his fist through the Nara's chest only to have it deform into a blob of black that gripped him tightly. He brought his other fist around and shattered the shadow with a grunt as a needle of shadow lanced from the ground under his foot.

He felt the pressure building at the sole of his sandals and leapt backwards only to find the Nara boy had shadow stepped there before him and was swinging the Kusanagi again.

The ridiculous nature of the battle struck him. The boy _CHILD! _barely held the blade correctly and his stance was completely skewed but he utilized his bloodline jutsus with a mastery the sanin had never seen from the Nara clan before.

He watched the genin swing the sword like he was playing stick-ball and twisted in mid-air, letting the blade slip through the air just under him.

As he landed he felt a classical Kagemane settle over him but before he could use it to direct Shikamaru's movement the pressure was released and his feet were pinned to the ground. As Tsunade had before him, his legs flexed and he yanked free of the hold but the constant barrage was slowing him slightly.

Shadow needles and poorly executed sword strikes exploded from all directions. He still hadn't even had an opportunity to attack and was quickly becoming frustrated. The chakra usage of the boy was minimal at best and while he was in no danger of running out of chakra himself he wasn't going to win on the defensive either.

He felt the Nara's chakra change as he dipped into his thigh pouch and began throwing kunai and shuriken into the pool of shadow, only to have them appear in different places, all heading towards him, if a bit inaccurately. The first few he dodged but as the Nara's aim improved he was forced to deflect one and then felt the telltale bite of a kunai in his leg just before the explosive tag attached to it exploded.

He ignored the pain and instead pushed chakra into regenerating the body he was inhabiting. He also noticed that the shadows around the explosion had all but vanished in the firelight. They snapped back quickly as the fire disappeared.

The explosion would probably already bring Iwa's shoddy excuse for Anbu running but a flare to disperse the shadows definitely would.

Completely healed now he bent backwards allowing the Kusanagi to pass over him and struck out with his foot. He felt something give way and heard the delicious crack of a breaking rib as well as a grunt of pain.

The Nara tumbled away from him and he was already giving chase. Orochimaru leapt upwards and brought his fist crashing down on the boy only to have it enveloped by another shadow blob as the boy appeared behind him, still clutching his side.

This time everything came at once, his feet were against fastened to the ground just as needles of shadow pierced dozens of parts of his body, anchoring him to the ground over and over again.

He ignored the pain and began brushing off the needles, shattering them quicker than they could appear.

"It's where you're warm." The Nara said, cryptically and whispered, "Kagesuchi no jutsu." He slipped into the shadow and reappeared behind the sanin. This time he let the shadow-step do the work for him and used his momentum to stab the sanin between his shoulder-blades.

* * *

The distant thud of an explosive tag brought him up short and he veered in it's direction. The Kagemane had only just then given way enough for him to break it and he was still far from where his student fought. As the village gave way to rocky desolation he heard another explosion, this time more like thunder and tried to coax a little more speed from his legs.

_Orochimaru must be playing with him. I have to get there before he's taken. _

As he neared the blackened battleground he slowed, trying to take in everything all at once. A gigantic white snake with the rough facial features of Orochimaru reared back in pain, screaming in a thousand voices. He lunged forward and felt something strike his boot. At his feet, the hilt of the Kusanagi lay, it's blade broken off at half it's length.

Shikamaru leaned heavily on a boulder, his pants shredded on the right side and blood dripping down onto his bare feet.

He gripped his trench knives in either hand and they glowed blue as chakra infused them. _He's not toying with Shika...he's losing. _

"Who's there?" Shikamaru yelled hoarsely.

_He can't see anymore. _"Asuma!" He yelled back. "Back!" He roared as Orochimaru lashed out at the blinded Nara.

He watched in shock as his student seemed to fold in on himself and disappeared into shadow, then slipping back out almost next to him.

The shadow nin leaned on him heavily and he had to sheath one of his trench knives to keep them upright. "Just like shogi, sensei."

Asuma nodded and wrapped his arm around the Nara's waist. He gripped Shikamaru's belt, crushing the boy to his side. "Forward, four meters, then right two."

The world blinked as the shadows fell over them and threw them forward, pulling back to reveal Orochimaru's flank. He slashed with his single trench-knife and felt the telltale resistance of flesh. A dozen snakes squirmed and fell away from the writhing mass and they were engulfed in shadow again, this time at Orochimaru's other flank.

He slashed twice and more of the white pass fell away, wiggling and bleeding. He leapt to the side as the aberration bucked sideways, trying to crush them. Shikamaru groaned at his side and they were taken via shadow back to where they had started.

_He's bleeding out. _His mind told him coldly. Already he could feel the boy's blood soaking into his pants as well. Whatever was hurt, it was killing him quickly.

"Two more, Shika." He said, not facing the Nara. He felt his student's head loll to the side towards his voice and saw a faint nod from the corner of his eye.

He gave his instructions and felt them surge through the shadow again. The first brought them behind the beast and Asuma leapt onto it's back, trying to keep himself with a mix of chakra and balance as he ran up it's back.

Chakra had no effect on his traction and he slipped as he threw his trench knife. He watched the blade sink deep into the back of where he hoped it's head was and an inhuman scream threatened to split his eardrums. He saw the edges of the shadow pool closing inward quickly but even as he thought Shikamaru had lost consciousness they were folded back into the last bit of shadow and thrown back out just underneath it's jaw. He dropped his student with a wince and drew the last of his knives.

"Flying swallow!" He roared and swept the knife upwards.

* * *

_It's been a giggle, guys. I'll update this one again after 1k reviews. I know it seems like a lot but the effort vs effect is killing me. Gonna try publishing a few short stories. I'll get some links to post if I get off the ground._


	14. Chapter 14: Breaking Blood

Chapter 14: Breaking Blood

* * *

Shikamaru appeared to stare intently at the snake wrapped around his wrist but could see it no more than he could see the back of his head. Mostly he was concentrating, Anko had been bitten and her life was rapidly fading. It felt like a giant clock was sitting just behind his eyes as he dedicated a small part of his mind to ticking off the seconds since she'd been poisoned.

_**She shouldn't have startled me. **_

The sound of his grinding teeth broke the relative silence of their palaver.

_"Why'd you do it?" _He asked the sword, already knowing the answer. They'd been together so long now that he couldn't be particularly mad at the snake for being a snake. He was more disgusted than anything else. He'd been so careful up until then but Anko wasn't given to emotional displays and he didn't think that she'd touch him, let along hug him.

_**What do you mean?**_

He'd ordered the Kusanagi into snake form. He'd been frightened and was trying to use the snake's eyes to try to regain a bit of the control he'd lost when Orochimaru invaded their apartment. The snake was simply being herself. There was nothing he could say that made her ashamed of being what she was. It was only his own sad attempt to place to blame anywhere but where it belonged, with him.

_"That doesn't mean I can't find a cure." _He thought, determinedly. He just had to discern the nature of the poison.

The Hokage had explained a portion of it. He just needed the rest of the problem.

_**"I was summoned from the snake realm."**_

His mind took that in and his feet stopped. _"You're a summoned weapon?" _

_**"I'm not a weapon."**_

He glossed over her indignation. _"You're a sword, of course you're a weapon."_

_**"On your plane I'm used as a sword, it's not what I am."**_

He started walking again, making his way ever out of the village. "You're splitting hairs." He said, not realizing he'd spoken aloud. "If you're a summons then you can be returned...if you're damaged."

_**"I am indestructible." **_She replied curtly.

_"Nothing is unbreakable." _A plan began to solidify in his mind and he began trotting out of town, hoping the rest would fall into place on it's own.

_

* * *

_

"Why toy with him at all, Orochimaru-sama?" Kabuto asked, adjusting his glasses. The glasses themselves were an affectation. He had corrected his vision years ago and it had taken only a tiny bit of his effort. The lenses in the glasses now were for show and did nothing to correct his perfect sight.

Orochimaru deigned not to answer his subordinate right away, instead he stared off to the west, watching the Nara boy making his way out of town. "Kabuto, I have an eternity to break his will. If you bend a piece of metal enough, it will snap." He said cryptically.

"As an ally he would be...useful." The snake sanin answered quietly.

Kabuto carefully kept his face neutral but inside he was conflicted. His master had begun to lose focus of late, he'd stopped attempting to learn new jutsus altogether and had instead been playing god with the lives he found around him. Sasuke was safely tucked away in their hideout but even he wasn't safe from Orochimaru's mind games.

He wondered, and not for the first time, how crazy Orochimaru really was. The story he'd given Nara, while persuasive, was also a complete lie. He wasn't trying to usurp power in Konoha any more than he'd been innocently gathering volunteers to take part in his experiments.

He wanted Konoha to burn. Right down to it's foundations. Kabuto had helped him for years trying to attain this goal and while the snake sanin still had things to teach him he'd continue to help.

"Return to the base, Kabuto. Keep Sasuke-kun company." He purred to his subordinate.

Kabuto suppressed a sigh and made a few hand symbols before disappearing in a puff of smoke.

* * *

_This is...really a drag. _He thought, as he 'saw' the snake sanin appear in front of him. His slippered feet making the barest vibrations in the ground as he landed lightly.

_**"You're going to try to kill me?"**_

He made no outward sign that he was conversing with his sword. _"No. I'm going to send you back to the snake realm. I've learned a little about summonings, though I have no talent for them. If you summon a toad and the toad is say...stepped on. It gives every appearance of being stepped on for a split second then returns to where it was summoned. If you summon it again, after an appropriate period of time has passed, it will not be crushed, it's the same toad you had before."_

He tracked the sanin with the snake's eyes and continued on with his explanation, not really knowing how much of it the Kusanagi understood. Explaining the plan kept him from thinking from his very-probable death that was impending.

_

* * *

_

His breath came rapidly now, even though the battle had only just started. He'd wrestled with the problem of how to cure Anko for a relatively long time. That he could blame on lack of information. Now he had all the information, he just couldn't think of a way to fix the problem.

Anko was dying. If he could damage the Kusanagi sword enough to unsummon it he hoped it would also take the venom it had injected into his..._What is she? _Into the Mitarashi with it. There was only one thing that was anathema to the sword and that was snakes. Orochimaru, having experimented on himself for longer than Shikamaru had been alive, had effectively turned the majority of his body into a snake.

This provided both an opportunity and a problem. If he tried to strike a true snake, nothing would happen. The blade flexed and molded around the snake in an eye-alarming way without ever actually cutting anything. This was why the sword had been sealed within a python. The opportunity lay in that if he struck at the human part of Orochimaru he'd effectively place the sword at odds with the serpent. He hoped the conflict would damage the blade enough to bring his plan to fruition.

The problem was that not only did he not know where to strike Orochimaru, it wouldn't have mattered if he did. He was fighting a sanin at the height of his power while he himself was still a genin. Titles meant little in the world of life and death but he still felt like it was a little unfair for him to be facing a sanin regardless.

_Bet you'd have something to say about that, old man. _He thought, the third Hokage popping into his head for some reason.

The snakes vision warped as the sanin came too close. Suddenly he was trying to fathom the heat the snake saw and realized that at least one of his problems was solved.

"It's where you're warm."

Snakes produced very little body heat. Orochimaru was, for the most part, as cold as the air around him but there was a place, at his core that was warm.

_The last human part. _

* * *

He had positioned himself over the last twenty minutes, for a single, perfect thrust. The shadowstep took him exactly where he had planned and he felt the familiar resistance of the sword's tip sliding into flesh and past bone.

Then his planning fell apart.

The Kusanagi's scream blotted out all of his thoughts until he'd thought he'd gone deaf, only the noise was inside his head. He reflected that some things should only be experienced as noise. Noise had a limit. If you reached your bodies tolerance for noise your eardrums would simply burst. A thought knows no such bounds and for the moment it took as the sword slid between Orochimaru's shoulderblades and began writhing in his hand like a snake, he thought he'd go mad with the immensity of it.

The sword itself could not overcome it's nature. It had to cut, in this case the human sliver that Orochimaru had either not been able to or not willing to eradicate from himself. He felt the sword's pain. Ever deeper it penetrated into the human flesh of the sanin and all the while Orochimaru's regeneration jutsu was closing the wound around the sword with serpentine substitution.

The blade couldn't stop cutting forward but it couldn't allow itself to touch the encroaching snake walls and thus began to grow thinner and thinner until it happened.

_**Goodbye, wielder. Summon me again should you have need. Your soul was payment enough. **_The sword explained in it's last moments of clarity. The noise that had felt like it would explode his head right off his shoulders ceased in a moment and was replaced by a deafening blast that was miniscule in comparrison. The sword exploded just as the tip of the blade was cut off from the main body.

The tip lost was less than a centimeter but it made little difference to the summons and the results were spectacular. The blade cracked and then exploded. He managed to shield his face but doubted it would have made a difference should chance have sent the fragments at his head. The shattered remains of the sword flew in all directions and he felt one of them draw a scalding line across his thigh. He tried to look down, expecting to see bone but his eyes were gone, the sword having been destroyed.

He clenched the cut with his hand. It was not very painful. More uncomfortable than anything else and he was unconcerned with it. Until the bleeding started. A great spurt of blood issued from the razor-thin cut the sword fragment had given him. He immediately became lightheaded. _Hit an artery. _

He immediately pressed his hand to the cut and began tying off the arterial wound. His hearing was slowly returning after the blast and he could hear Orochimaru screaming and cursing. It had been too much to hope that the blade would have killed the sanin as well but it made little difference. Anko was as safe as he could make her and he was going to bleed out in less than a few minutes time.

It was then that he heard someone else.

* * *

Asuma ignored the twitching body behind him and instead fell to the ground next to his student. Shikamaru was pale. He practically glowed in the moonlight.

"Come on, Shika. Tsunade's not far." He said, tears blurring his vision.

Shikamaru's breath was shallow and he looked disturbingly comfortable. "Take his head, sensei. It's...important."

"He's dead, if you were after revenge you've got it. Lets get you out of here." Asuma said, and tried to pick the Nara up.

The boy shoved his hands away and growled, "The head!" His eyes burning with fury.

Afraid of his student harming himself further he ignored his instincts and turned away. Orochimaru's mouth was open and his eyes glazed and unseeing. Instead of guessing at the pressure it would take to remove the bastard's head he made the appropriate hand symbols and barked, "Flying swallow!" and cut through the sanin's neck at the base of his skull.

* * *

A finger poked him. It was incessant and annoying and as such, made him smile even before he was fully awake.

"Anko." He said, his voice thick with sleep.

"Hey, you're getting pretty good at that." Her voice, strong and loud answered him, broadening his grin. "Time to get up."

For the first time in almost a year his mind was silent. No other voices or slithering presences, no thoughts on how he was going to survive the next day. Just exquisite and perfect peace. _Anko's alive, Orochimaru's dead. _

He felt like dancing but resigned himself to trying to turn on his side. Several restraints stopped him and he awakened a dull pain in his leg. He stopped trying with a groan.

"Quit whining." Anko grumped, her voice sounding a little on edge.

Shikamaru let out a hoarse chuckle. "Were you worried about me?"

"Go to hell." Was her reply and while it was delivered in a cheery tone her voice still had it's edge.

He ignored it and stretched, groaning again, this time in pleasure. The smells of the hospital surrounded him. Stringent and not entirely pleasant but reinforcing his sense of safety. Only Kabuto was left and without Orochimaru he was an arrow without a bow.

"Where's the Hokage?" He asked, and before he could be answered a door slammed open. The force of it hitting the wall was enough to shake his bed slightly.

Anko inhaled once and muttered, "Shit."

"Those are Anbu on active duty, Mitarashi Anko and under orders _from me!" _Shikamaru debated whether he should pretend to be asleep.

Anko sniffed defensively and shot back, "They said I couldn't come in."

"Wake. Them. Up." The hokage snarled.

He felt Anko step away from his bed and heard a loud slap and a grunt. This was repeated three more times and finally the Hokage spoke again. "What...exactly were you doing?"

He heard a shuffling of feet. "He was out for like three days. I wanted to make sure he was fine."

"He was asleep for a day and a half, Anko...I placed him in that coma for a reason." The Hokage said, some of the anger fading from her voice. "He was fine then and he's fine now. Don't you have a report to submit?"

"All done." Anko replied in a sunny voice.

"That garbage your students submitted is not a report. I want a full accounting of the incident leading up to your own injury, on my desk by sundown."

Anko muttered under her breath, "Those little c-rank speed-bumps are going to get it." He suppressed a smile but doubted he did a very good job of hiding it.

Suddenly he felt her lips against his, hard and grumpy. A moment passed and he heard the Hokage exhale before Anko pulled back.

"I'll see you 'round, Nara. I've got children to mentor the crap out of." She paused and leaned in closer, her lips brushing his ear. "Thanks, Shika." There was a whoosh of air as she exited dramatically.

He waited for the Hokage to calm down and then spoke when he stopped feeling the gurney shaking beneath him. She'd been tapping her foot again and it was disconcerting. "Asuma is alright?" He asked, knowing for the most part that his mentor had made it out in one piece.

"I'm fine." Asuma replied and he was proud that he only jumped slightly at the voice.

"How long have you been here?"

The Hokage answered for him, "Since he brought you here. Asuma, don't you think it's time for a bath?"

He grimaced as he stopped his hands from reaching up to grab the snake that would never be there again.

"If you say so, Hokage-sama." The jonin replied, sounding bemused.

Shikamaru held out his hand for his sensei and felt him take it in rough hands. He drew his sensei closer and spoke in a low voice. "Thanks, sensei."

"We did it together." The jonin replied, as silent as he.

"Going to split the reward with me?" Shikamaru asked, his brain working again. He was, after all, quite poor at the moment.

Orochimaru's death reward was substantial even if it only came from Konoha. Four other villages had placed prices on the sanin's head as well. It wasn't enough to buy back his family holdings but it would be enough to get his house back and a bit on the side as well.

"Nope." Asuma replied, chuckling softly. "Get some rest." Then he too, was gone and he was left alone with the Hokage.

"How are you feeling?" Tsunade asked quietly. He heard her moving around the room.

Shikamaru's brain began buzzing again. It was odd, that in the presence of Konoha's greatest ally that his mind was just as active as it was in Orochimaru's presence but he couldn't stop it any more than he could stop his own heartbeat.

_Political blowback from Iwa...foreign exam. Find me at fault? Trial? Day and a half asleep...final exam tomorrow. Sympathy genuine? Inflection good...god I hate being blind, can't see facial expressions. If she's not lying...building me up for a different letdown? Worried about allegiance. Kami! Council will crap a kitten when they find out the Kusanagi is gone. I was instrumental in Orochimaru's defeat, though. Secondary. They will be angry regardless. Plan for next trial. Try not to threaten again. _

He worked through the next trial in his mind, annoying himself with the responses he extrapolated for them.

He made an effort to calm himself, trying to remember the reason they were placed into power in the first place.

"Tired, Hokage-sama and poor." He answered, guardedly.

Tsuande said nothing for long moments. He felt her walking through the room and when she spoke it sounded as though she was facing away from him. "To be expected, given Anko's fascination with you. As for your financial situation, Asuma didn't mean he was taking it all, he meant he wasn't taking any of the reward. Still...you're awake now."

He hadn't realized it before but her voice broke as she was talking with him.

"What exactly happened out there?" She asked, this time while seated and facing him and her composure intact.

He related from the time he had left her until he had blacked out while Asuma carried him. It had seemed like years to live through but the story itself wasn't long. He'd gone out and fought with a sanin and while he didn't exactly win, he'd done what he'd gone out to do. Asuma defeating Orochimaru hadn't been part of his plan.

_He's dead. _He breathed in deeply and couldn't stop the small smile from forming on his lips. "What was done with his head?" He asked, after he finished.

"It was placed into cold storage for the trip back to Konoha. I prefer to let our own medical staff examine it." Her voice was raw. _Probably cried for that monster. _He thought about this for a moment and decided against comforting her.

"What about the eyes?" He asked, staring straight at her though he couldn't tell.

* * *

"What about his plan?" Temari grumped, looking over the field at the opposite 'village'. It consisted of what remained of Iwa and Kiri's genin. The sound genin had been conspicuously absent since their own defeat but the rest of the failed shinobi were situated across from them.

Upon being told they had failed they had been taken aside and made to wait the remainder of the test for the final part of the exam. If, as a group, they defeated the villages that had cropped up they would be given a chance to retake their part of the exam.

It also made this final part of the exam a potential bloodbath as it was essentially a free for all. The rules were simple. The last village standing, won. The arena it was taking place in was larger, by far, than Konoha's. It was shaped like a horseshoe with the open end blocked off by a naturally occurring cliff that towered over the stadium.

Kankuro snorted, "It was kind of dependant on his lazy ass actually showing up."

Chouji grimaced but didn't respond to the bait. "The ranks he broke up still work as a battle formation, we'll utilize our long range attackers to try to keep them away from the core group and fighting amongst each other. Once they're weakened will beat whoever's left."

Tenten nodded and placed a hand on Hinata's shoulder. "We'll be ready."

The shorter girl blushed but barked out a quick. "Hai."

Kiba shouted, "Alright Shino, lets kick some ass!" The implacable Aburame only turned and started walking towards their designated area. Kiba, who had raised his hand to give his partner a high five, slumped and followed after a moment, grumbling.

"Didn't think you'd show up for this." Temari said blandly and all eyes turned back towards her. Shikamaru ambled towards the group from the side entrance of the arena. He was pale but his stride was steady. He didn't speak until he got a bit closer.

"Sorry, was hoping I wouldn't be late for this." Everyone was staring at his eyes though and only Kiba actually heard him.

"You can see." Chouji said, his grin threatening to split his face in two. The larger boy picked up his best friend and crushed him to his chest.

Shikamaru wheezed but was grinning as well. "Doesn't...help if you pop them out."

Chouji set him down and took up the ball Shikamaru had given him during the planning process. It wasn't overlarge, about the size of his head and he tucked it under his arm for the right moment.

Shikamaru's new eyes glinted in the sunlight, slitted like a snakes and as yellow as gold they were a little disconcerting to the rest of the group.

"Same plan, right?" Temari asked. The plan called for both Shikamaru and her together. He nodded and gestured at Kankuro.

"Come on, lets go offer a truce." He said, yawning slightly. Just walking down the stadium stairs had been a chore. He'd steadily been stuffed with blood pills and enough antler powder to gag a goat but he still wasn't up to full strength yet. Quite a bit depended on this bluff.

"Why me?" Kankuro asked, looking suspicious.

"I don't want Temari to leave Chouji's side and you're the only other representative of Suna. You can stay if you want but I'll be speaking for both villages if you do."

The puppet master...or was it the puppet...trotted to catch up to him and fell into step with him. Shikamaru produced a small white handkerchief from his pocket and flipped it around lazily.

The two other villages looked skeptical at first but when the duo reached the center of the coliseum and made no other effort to move they too sent representatives forward. The proctor, an Iwa jonin, also made his way there as well and they all met.

"What do you want, Konoha?" A Kiri-nin spoke up first, his voice slightly muffled from the full facemask he wore.

"To offer you a truce. Both of you actually. Our village is willing to allow you to surrender and leave the stadium." He made a point of staring them both in the eyes. While not very attractive, Orochimaru's eyes did have their uses.

"That doesn't sound like much of a deal to me." The Iwa nin said, sounding angry.

Shikamaru shrugged. "That's what the Oto guys said too."

"That was you?" From the jonin this time. He chose to ignore the interruption.

"You can fight us and die today or you can leave the stadium, make it to the next exam and hope Konoha doesn't participate."

"I'm not listening to this bullshit." The Kiri-nin said and tried to walk away. He froze in his tracks and Shikamaru fought the urge to say it.

"I'm not done talking yet." He said, watching the nin try to break his Kagemane. He'd sent his shadow through the dirt and brought it back up under the shinobi's feet making it appear as though he'd stopped him with his will alone.

"The truce has conditions with it. One is that your two villages fight it out. This benefits you because regardless if you win or lose, you're still in the running for chunin and you can strut your stuff." He said, stifling another yawn.

"And the other?" The Iwa nin asked though he was looking at the Kiri shinobi who's eyes were rolling wildly in their sockets.

"When you've finished bludgeoning yourselves you must bow to the KonoSuna side and leave the arena."

He released the Kirigakure shinobi from the 'failed' village and he slumped visibly. His mouth opened once then clicked shut again when Shikamaru turned towards him.

The audience was growing restless now and there were a few boos drifting down from the stands. He ignored them and watched as the two ninja's brains worked through everything he'd told them.

Their answer wasn't required and he turned away, walking back toward their own area. Under his breath he heard Kankuro talking. "That's never going to work."

"Doesn't have to, that was just theatrics. Did you notice any similarities between the two other 'villages'?"

"They both look pissed off at you." The sand-nin replied with a dark chuckle.

"They have both of the major teams on different sides. There's Iwa shinobi mixed in with the losers and Kiri shinobi in with the winners. They were going to fight it out anyway."

"Why talk to them at all then, isn't that what we want?" He asked, not looking at the Konoha genius.

It was Shikamaru's turn to chuckle. "To piss them off." He pointed at the other end of the arena with his thumb and spoke as they made their way across the giagantic arena floor. "The two main powers in those groups are, of course, the Kiri and the Iwa sides. Inside those power bubbles you have a few cloud, an Amegakure team and so on. Those secondary teams will naturally ally with whoever they believe is the strongest. Since they can't ally with us, they'll pick Iwa or Kiri depending on either something they've agreed on already or the outcome of the battle between the big two. That's further complicated by the fact that some of the cloud and all of the Amegakure teams failed and while my offer of leaving after beating each other would work fine for the winners, the losers that were brought back in have to win the whole thing in order to be re-qualified in the exam."

"So there's no way to avoid at least a battle with most of those guys."

Shikamaru shook his head. "Not without killing some of them as examples and I'm not willing to go that far in an exam, not at the risk of damaging relations with a foreign nation."

They reached their group, everyone looking at him expectantly. He sighed and Tenten asked, "What'd they say?"

"Not much, I'm pretty sure we'll be fighting the entire Iwa side, minus whoever gets hurt in their battle and a few cloud shinobi as well." He said and turned back towards the other teams. The two other villages rushed at each other only to devolve into an all out brawl as loyalties changed in the blink of an eye.

The Konoha team stood apart, waiting for the winners to make themselves known. His eyes, still a little hazy were still sharp enough to pick up the exploding tags that were being hurled into the arena by Deidara, adding to the pandemonium.

The ground shook as the Iwa team began using some of their more destructive jutsus. A few exploding tags were thrown towards the Konoha team but what Tenten didn't deflect in mid-flight, Temari easily pushed back, even once returning it almost to the feet of it's sender.

The tags coming towards them stopped abruptly after that.

The battle raged for a few more minutes until finally the winners, the Iwa genin, made themselves known. As he had predicted, the few cloud genin that had made it that far into the exam were allied with them and they all spread out and began a slow advance on the fresh KonoSuna team.

He yelled and pointed at the advancing 'village'. "Surrender now." In a lower voice he said, "I wont be able to get them all, watch the flanks for ones I missed."

Their slow advance turned into a trot and then finally a full sprint as they neared the unmoving shinobi. "Now, Chouji."

The Akimichi yelled "Baiku no jutsu!" and his arm grew considerably. In the palm of his hand was the ball Shikamaru had given him and he hurled it high over the heads of the approaching shinobi.

"Tenten!" He yelled, as the ball reached the pinnacle of it's arc. The kunoichi's hand was a blur as she sent a single kunai at the target, hitting it with unerring precision. It exploded in all directions, the first explosion was only to scatter the gas bombs. Dozens of purple balls scattered outwards. He was particularly pleased that they hadn't all exploded at once, he'd gone over the design of the ball a hundred times to avoid that very thing.

He opened his mouth but was interrupted by Temari. "I see it, shut up." She snarled and swept her fan around in a broad arc. A blade of wind, barely visible arced out from her and cut through the sweep of smoke bombs, exploding them all at once. A few escaped and hit the ground but it didn't hinder his plan. A large portion of the arena was blanketed in shadow from the smoke overhead. He watched quietly as the shadows from the smoke expanded towards them until finally they touched his foot.

He immediately sent his shadow into the ground. It took longer to find the gaps but it was also untraceable. Tentacles of shadow also bloomed from his visible shadow and he began the maneuvering dance. While he could move and perform the shadow sewing he couldn't move when performing the Kagemane and was vulnerable until he released it. Chouji kept everything away from him and even though he was focused on the attack he couldn't help but marvel at how fast his friend had gotten. He lanced out with the shadow sewing, creating situations where the shinobi that dodged them, did so only to find themselves trapped in a Kagemane.

"Hinata, nine o'clock!" He shouted as the Kagemane was completed on the first of the shinobi. The Hyuga, already a blur of movement, shifted her focus and closed off the major tenketsu of the helpless shinobi. He released him as soon as she was finished and quickly called out another he'd taken.

All around him the battle raged. He saw, from the corner of his eye, Kankuro trap a shinobi inside one of his puppets. There was a hollow knocking sound as the shinobi tried to get out and then from every seam and hole burst green smoke and the puppet opened again, releasing it's unconscious inhabitant onto the ground.

Temari was busy trying to keep the cloud of smoke over their position. She bounded from one end of the arena to the other, using her fan to waft errant blobs back into the mass. She'd been reluctant to agree to the plan when she found out she was only assisting with his jutsu but after Hinata closed off the Tenketsu of the third shinobi she let her anger at the situation go and began paying more attention to the cloud above them.

Kiba and Akamaru were adding to the enemy's disarray. Whenever a new group would form up the duo would gatsuga through the middle of them, forcing them apart again. Ensuring they couldn't form a cohesive fighting unit or even make an impromptu plan.

Shino walked through the battlefield easily, his own allies shooting out every so often and attaching themselves to any shinobi that got too close. The effect wasn't immediately evident but the overall pace of the shinobi his bugs touched slowed considerably allowing Shikamaru to Kagemane two more.

Then it was over, almost as quickly as it began. Tenten did something with a short spear that his eye couldn't quite follow, there was a crack as she broke the shinobi's arm and then a dull thunk as she knocked him on the back of his head. His eyes rolled back and he fell to the ground as though boneless.

_This is so much easier than fighting jonin all the time. _He remarked to himself. He checked on the rest of his team, seeing that no one had sustained any serious injury. Chouji had a small cut over his temple that looked much worse than it was. When Tenten asked him about it he waved her off, "Ino can fix this in a second. Don't worry about it."

One of Tenten's buns was unraveled but she wore a grin that would give her sensei's dynamic entrance smile a run for it's money. "Lets do that again!" She said, unable to keep it in.

Kiba and Akamaru were unharmed, if a little dizzy and Shino didn't even appear as though he had been in a battle. He was calmly walking through the unconscious group, retrieving his bugs.

Of them all Temari looked the worst, she was panting heavily and sweat stained her kimono in several places. "Last time..." She said, still trying to catch her breath. "...listen to one of your...plans."

He realized, as he was checking his companions, that the stadium had gone completely silent. He turned towards the stands and saw that almost all of them were on their feet but were watching the KonoSuna team intently.

He turned towards the group they had defeated and bowed formally. Behind him the rest of the 'village' did as well.

The crowd exploded in cheering and shouting and they all straightened back up again.

"That should just about fix it." He said to himself. He felt a hand clap him on the shoulder and saw Chouji standing next to him.

"Good to have you back, Shika."

* * *

"Most of it is classified, Hiashi-sama." Neji said quietly. He kneeled on the mat in front of the seated clan-head.

"With regard to the classification, tell me what you can." He said, his voice becoming taut.

"Nara Shikamaru faced Orochimaru. The Kusanagi sword was destroyed during the fight and Shikamaru was wounded. Sarutobi Asuma killed Orochimaru." Neji said, his voice perfectly neutral.

"And that's it?"

"That is all I'm authorized, as an active-duty jonin to say, Hiashi-sama."

"Interesting."

* * *

Shikamaru sat, on a chair he'd constructed of shadow, in front of the Konoha council once again. He marked the presence of the Hyuga clan leader but it didn't change the situation.

"So you _could _summon the sword again?" A woman asked. He thought he remembered her as a merchant guild leader but he couldn't quite recall where he'd seen her. Probably at some Nara function or another.

"Yep." He answered, trying to sound polite.

"Why don't you?" She asked, leaning back in her chair. Her voice was exasperated at this point.

He scrubbed his face with his hands and then fixed her with his yellow eyes. "It's a summoning jutsu. Are you going to vote the next time I want to use a Kagemane? Forgive me, council...people. I'm just not sure where this is going. Yes I can summon the sword, no I'm not going to. It's my understanding that while policy and law governing Konoha is dictated by the Hokage and the Council, individual jutsus and their use are within the realm of active shinobi so long as they're performed within the boundaries of law. You can't make me summon it, it wasn't a crime to break it and Orochimaru's dead, in part, because of it."

There was a collective silence during which the old woman stared at him gravely.

He stared straight back and finally rolled his eyes. "Look, you can't browbeat me into being wrong."

The woman, speaker for the council he supposed, controlled her anger. She took a moment and then directed her gaze back at him. She held it for long moments and then spoke. "This council confers on you the rank of Chunin, effective immediately and _permanently _until such time as you are dead, retired or found to be a traitor." She said, smiling cruelly at him.

His mouth, half open, worked a few times, trying to speak but failing. Finally he found his voice. "But..." He said, impotently. He had purposely baited and harried them. He'd been conducting himself just shy of insubordination and had hoped that, no matter what had occurred at the chunin exam, that he'd annoy them enough to withhold his promotion. All of it, for nothing.

A hand fell on his shoulder and he looked up to see the Hokage grinning at him. Much like a cat would grin at a mouse. "I spoke to them beforehand."

_

* * *

_

"And now you're a Chunin. With the Jonin exams coming up. It's not like I can give back all the shit that Kakashi gave me but this ought to shut him up." Anko said, half chewing a piece of beef.

He smiled at her and just let her words wash over him. There was something to be said for peace and though she talked incessantly, it kept his brain from working too long in one direction.

"What are we doing today?" He asked, placing his hands behind his head and leaning back slightly, a small smile on his face.

* * *

_Ok, half of chapter 13 got cut off. This is the other half. I didn't read it when I posted it so I guess that's my bad. Thanks for the PM, hopefully this'll fix it. I was torn between just fixing chapter 13 and adding another chapter but new chapters get more views I guess._

_Read, review and hopefully enjoy._

_Dave_


	15. Chapter 15: Faceless

Chapter 15: Faceless…

"All that and you could have just fought him." Kakashi admonished, looking at the prone figure of the ninja at his feet. He was face down but he didn't have to turn him over to know that on his forehead was a Mist village hitai'ate. "He was a low chunin."

"The mission's accomplished isn't it?" Shikamaru said, sounding annoyed.

The Jonin exams weren't exams in the strict sense of the word. They were really just monitored A-rank missions. He had to complete three A-ranks and receive recommendations from the three jonin that accompanied him in order to receive the promotion from the Hokage.

While Tsunade had thought it easier to just promote him herself Kakashi had had to remind her, quite insistently at one point, that if she didn't want to alienate the Nara to every other jonin that had had to take the tests she would have to abide the tradition.

She'd relented and now here he was, trying to figure out why the Nara hadn't simply overwhelmed the chunin. He'd heard _and reheard _Asuma's stories regarding his student's integral role in defeating Orochimaru but he was beginning to doubt that the Nara had developed any skills that set him apart from the other students in his class.

"Yes…quickly too. I think this mission was overstated for a change but that's not exactly your fault." The Copy ninja said, almost to himself.

In point of fact it was Shikamaru's machinations that had secured him several missions of questionable classification. He'd shown the Hokage the security flaw that he'd exploited to cause an economic vacuum but that didn't stop him from having access to basic mission briefings the same as any other chunin.

He'd researched a few and had contacted the people that had initiated the contracts, convincing them to hold the missions until he was available to take them. This particular one had been an infiltration specialist stealing history scrolls in the hopes that he'd come across a lost justu or two. It was unknown if he was working for a particular government but he'd quickly ferreted out that the nin, while a competent thief, was not a combat specialist.

He had been on a mission in the Fire Country, sanctioned by his Kage, but had overstayed his mission by almost two months in order to search for the lost justu scrolls he seemed to think were being held in an out of the way monastery.

"I'm not Naruto. Pounding the crap out of someone then asking a few questions when they're a bloody pulp is not my idea of a well executed plan. I determined he wasn't on orders from Kiri, assessed his weaknesses and exploited one of them to capture him." Shikamaru rubbed his stubbled chin, looking at the nin. "I'm just not too sure what to do with him now."

Kakashi nudged the shinobi with his foot. "He's going to wake up, right?"

"I only kill…" Shikamaru began defensively.

Kakashi interrupted him, "Oto nin, I heard. You don't think it might have been just a bit easier to confront him directly?"

"This seemed pretty easy to me." The Nara said, looking at the prone figure.

"You paid a prostitute to drug him." Kakashi said, his one visible eye staring at him.

"Perfectly valid tactic. He visited the same one twice a week."

Kakashi's nose went back to his book. "I suppose." He began and turned away from the oblivious nin at his feet. "We can turn him in at a samurai outpost. There's one just up the road."

"Six hours up the road." The Nara said, his eyes narrowing.

Kakashi didn't look up from his book, "And you went and used your entire expense account for this mission on bribing a prostitute so hiring a wagon isn't really an option. Since you can't use your own money during a Jonin evaluation…guess that leaves only one option."

The Copy-nin began walking.

* * *

"He's a little too smart." Kakashi said, his book absent as he addressed the Hokage. While not exactly predictable, Sasuke's absence was in part his fault and he was trying to stay on the Hokage's good side.

His personal feelings in the matter were somewhat conflicted. While he'd given the last Uchiha every opportunity and ounce of training that he'd deemed appropriate, the boy had spat it back in his face by leaving voluntarily for a village at war with Konoha.

As with many things in his life he tried to weigh who's honor he should uphold. He owed his life to so many people that he found he rarely had a say in his actions. Honor and discipline dictated most of his life. The few times he'd been able to exercise his own will he seemed to botch it.

He tried to remember Obito's face. Some days it came easily to him but it was never the smiling, jovial face that everyone else remembered. It was the pale, blood spattered and agony stricken one that he had seen last. He rubbed his eye patch, not realizing he had.

_Would he want me to try to save Sasuke or remove the threat to Konoha? _

It was a question he'd asked himself a thousand times since he'd come to believe Shikamaru's story. Sasuke had chosen his own vengeance over the welfare of his village.

You_ choose a dead-man's will over your own. If Obito had been allied against Konoha would you be any different?_

Maybe Sasuke's brand of honor forbid him from deviating from a path of vengeance. While somewhat sad, it was not…wrong in the sense that he was behaving immorally. He was simply unable to put it down. Due to militaristic concerns regarding missing nin, he was soon to be classified as an enemy of Konoha.

It wasn't that he was evil or even a bad person. It was that he'd refused to put the needs of his village before his own concerns. In that, Kakashi thought, perhaps he was more moral than any of them.

Regardless of the personal cost and obvious danger to his own welfare he'd still gone the route he believed was the best to bring his brother to justice.

The Hokage gave him the hairy eyeball for a moment over a stack of papers as he contemplated his missing student. "If I had to find a flaw in my prospective Jonin I wish it was because they were all a little too smart." Her voice brought him out of his reverie and as always he hid his emotions behind the mask he wore.

"I'll recommend him but I'd like to go on at least one more mission with him." He said, what little of his face that showed looking concerned.

"Just spit it out." Tsunade said, looking annoyed. "Cause if this is about Sasuke I don't want it coming up again."

"It's not about him." Kakashi said, a little too quickly.

Tsunade stood from her desk and walked to Kakashi, placing her hand on his shoulder. "I had trouble trusting people after Orochimaru left the village too, Kakashi. You can't let it color your decisions though or they win. I trust Shikamaru."

"Logic has no allegiance." Kakashi said a little more angrily than he'd meant, her words hitting too close to home.

"No it doesn't but let me rephrase that. I trust him to do what's best for the people he cares about first, the village second and the mission last and in my opinion, that's the kind of shinobi I want as a jonin making independent decisions." She turned away from the Hatake.

"I'm old, Kakashi. In another five years I'll be retiring, Kami willing. I'm grooming him for Hokage." She turned back towards Kakashi. "I can't think of a better candidate, no one else really stands out like him."

She smiled at Kakashi cruelly. "Besides, if I can't make him Hokage, you're next in line."

Kakashi only looked circumspect, not panicked as she had hoped. "He doesn't even want to be a jonin, you had to back him into a corner to get him to take the exam."

"I don't care what he wants. Anyone that _wants _to be Hokage is unfit for the position." She fingered the necklace at her throat. "Dreamers and idiots." She muttered, half to herself.

Kakashi rolled his shoulders and then rubbed the back of his neck. "He doesn't have the…heart the fourth did." He said, sounding frustrated.

It was true. The Fourth was much like his son, Naruto. Willing to risk personal injury to bring his worst enemy to his way of thinking. Gaara was living proof of that dedication to friendship and through it they'd forged an unbreakable bond between Sand and Leaf.

Shikamaru saw things too analytically and too selfishly. If there was an enemy in front of him, he saw them in terms of their threat towards him and what he cared about and dealt with them in varying degrees of violence.

They'd all heard the return report from the last chunin exam. He'd butchered four sound genin just because it made a statement. While he couldn't fault the logic…was that really the sort of person they wanted making decisions for the entire village?

Tsunade chuckled. "He attacked two sanin and a jonin in a single night because Anko was going to die, Kakashi. I'd say that's proof enough of his heart. He may not be warm like Minato was but neither am I."

Kakashi started to open his mouth when the door banged open. Shizune, looking flustered, only poked her head in and nearly shouted, "He's back, Tsunade-sama!"

"We'll talk more about this later." Tsunade said, color rising in her cheeks. "I want my jonin commander on board with this particular decision." Then he was being ushered out with firm hands.

He glanced back as the door began to close and saw Tsunade fervently looking into a mirror and fixing her hair.

* * *

Sasuke stared at his reflection in the mirror. Occasionally he'd touch his face, his fingers tracing the outline of the Nara symbol that had been cut into his flesh. The scars were thin and slightly raised, only a touch more pale then his already pale features.

The mark annoyed him but he was beyond the rage that he'd felt when it had been applied. He would have been surprised to note that his own opinion of anger and Kakashi's were the same. People used it as a crutch to deal with situations they'd normally be too afraid to find tenable.

So he schooled his anger and simply experienced the mark for what it was. A learning tool. Shikamaru would never replace his brother as the object of his revenge but every long-term goal needed to be broken up into smaller, more attainable goals.

He'd thought that the Nara was within his grasp when he'd attacked him those months gone. That'd he'd have the upper hand in an encounter.

He had…at the time. If he had willed it he could have killed the Nara then. Should have really but he couldn't blame himself for not killing the lazy genius at the time. He'd hesitated out of some false sense of village unity. The result of his mercy was now visible on his face, a constant reminder of his mistake.

When you've an enemy at your mercy you struck decisively. It was a hard lesson but he'd learned it thoroughly and the foes he'd faced since Orochimaru's death had paid the ultimate price for meeting him in battle.

It was not quite time to test himself, he'd never been a match for Orochimaru and the snake sanin had fallen to the Nara but he would be ready in time.

Time was all he had left.

* * *

Chouji shielded his eyes from the sun with his free hand. The other was being used as a perch for Ino to stand on. "Do you see him?" The Akimichi asked. He was referring to Naruto, of course.

Not that the blonde genin would recognize his classmate if he stepped on him. Chouji, after two years of training with Guy and Lee had become a boulder of a man. The only thing that remained the same was his kind face and telltale Akimichi markings and armor.

"No, catch me." Ino said, sounding annoyed. She fell backwards into Chouji's arms and he set her back on her feet again.

"Shika should be getting back soon, too." Chouji said, noting the position of the sun in the sky.

Shikamaru had, for all intents and purposes, banished himself from the Nara clan. He still retained his family home but no standing and his share of the medicinal crop had been forfeited to the Hokage who had sold it back to the Nara at cost.

He still attended meetings though, despite the clan's open disdain for him and had been in one for the better part of the morning. They couldn't, strictly speaking, keep him out of the meetings but neither did he have a voice in them either.

"He'll be heading back out again tonight." Ino said, still looking on the horizon for Naruto and Jiraiya.

Chouji nodded, solemnly. "Maybe we'll get to have dinner together or something. It'd be nice to pin him down for a change."

Ino snorted, "Fat chance of that. He's too busy being all important to remember the little people."

Chouji poked her in the ribs, "Be nice. When you become a jonin you'll have the same problem."

"I'll always have time." Ino said stubbornly and he kissed her cheek.

* * *

Anko slammed the glass back down on the bar and waved at the bartender again. "Nother." She said, half coherently.

"I think you've had enough." The barkeep said, looking stern. She'd never actually been to this bar before so he couldn't have known but several of the customers knew her from other establishments and cringed inwardly.

"Really?" She said, looking at him frankly.

She fumbled at her thigh pouch and the man crossed his arms, expecting a fight but not expecting much out of the pretty little girl in front of him.

From her pouch she pulled a kunai with an explosive tag attached to it. In a quick motion she stabbed the kunai into the bar between them and spit into her hand.

With a wet slap she brought her palm down on the tag that dangled from the kunai and grinned lopsidedly at the barkeep. "You've got bout ten or so…well eight seconds to get me a drink fore we blow up."

Chairs upended and a few shouts reached her through her drunken haze but she ignored them, instead keeping perfect eye contact with the barkeep.

* * *

"So he has the same eyes…like blue or something?" The barkeep said, taking another slug of the sake.

Anko tried to focus on the correct barkeep as three of them danced in her vision. "No! No no no. Not _like_…" She gestured towards an empty stool but she forgot the reason why. "Look…they're not _like_…the same like it it…it…" She floundered for a moment.

"Reminds you." The barkeep supplied in a moment of understanding

"Yeah, not like that…like they're the same cause…he yanked em right out of that bastard's skull." He poured her another glass even though the one in her hand was still full.

She put the one in her hand down and picked up the other, repeating this a few times as she tried to collect her thoughts. "He's a…you know…"

"Great guy."

"Yeah! And a fox in the sack, I'll tell you what. Damn near lick his own eyebrows." She said and laughed into her glass of sake before taking another sip. "But it's…I can't look him in the eyes anymore and see anything but…you know…the bastard."

The bartender nodded solemnly and clinked his glass against hers and they both took a drink.

"So I'm kinda stuck and it's not cause…of anything…" She seemed to fade off, slowly leaning towards the bar only to jerk upright again. "…he did. I can't get over those bastard eyes."

The barkeep began to speak but she talked over him. "Look, lets say some gal betrayed and tortured you and a few years later some other lady you were doinking cut off the head of the first lady and ripped out her eyes then stuck them in her own skull…I mean…" She stood up and almost fell over, grabbing hold of the bartender to keep herself upright.

"That's pretty sweet, right? He's a sweet guy." She said, leaning too close to him. "It's my own stupid ass that…" She belched loudly. "…can't get past the eyes."

She was quiet for a moment and then walked a lap around the main room of the tavern. It had long since emptied out and they were alone, making the walk that much easier. As she neared the bartender again she spoke.

"They glow in the dark too…like a cat's eyes. Scared the piss right out of me one night…I started poking him…you know for some late-night horizontal training and he turns around at me and I literally almost piss myself."

She gestured with her drink, sloshing the sake everywhere. "I thought I'd get over it. It's been months now and I can't do it. So here I am…sitting with some asshole in a bar drinking sake like it's water."

The bartender's head was propped up on his hand and he nodded, half asleep.

She finished her drink and grabbed the bottle from behind the bar. The bartender, passed out now, had no objections and she stumbled out of the tavern.

* * *

Kurenai woke instantly but didn't immediately show it. She was having trouble realizing what had woken her up in the first place. After being a shin obi so long though she rarely ignored her instincts anymore and waited patiently as her mind tried to peel back the haze of sleep to the event that had brought her to alertness.

There was a tap at her wind and she turned towards it.

_Asuma maybe? _Though he had a key and wasn't prone to overly romantic displays.

She pushed off her blanket and pulled a robe around her shoulders before going to the window, being careful to first check the adjacent rooftops for enemies. Seeing none she looked into the alley below and saw Anko's face staring back up at her, a bottle in her hands.

_Oh hell. _

* * *

"It's only…" Anko thought about it, leaning on Kurenai heavily even as the genjutsu mistress leaned on her. "What time it?"

Kurenai shrugged.

"He'll be awake if he loves you." Anko said in a completely obtuse leap of logic.

Kurenai began to sing something that would have been pretty had she not found the bottom of the sake bottle. Instead it came out as more of a cat's warble and the two jonin made their way towards the Sarutobi compound, accompanied by several shouts from people she'd woken up.

* * *

Shikamaru lay in bed, his hands behind his head and stared at the ceiling. While not exactly worried about Anko he was concerned. She'd been acting strangely lately and while he knew the Anbu were patrolling Konoha it didn't stop him from wondering if she'd been called out for an assignment.

It was too late to check the Hokage's tower for the mission details if she was so he'd resigned himself to trying to sleep despite his worries. Thus far he'd been unsuccessful despite the exhaustion he felt. Dragging a limp body for hours really took it out of you.

He was about to roust himself from bed in abdication to his mind's inability to relax and prepare for the new day when their door opened. He watched from their bed as Anko attempted to slip into the room. The door opened and closed silently enough but she only got a few steps into the room before she crashed into the coffee table, knocking the vase in the center over. She cursed quietly but colorfully and stood stark still for a moment, wobbling slightly.

He decided not to let her know he was awake and simply lay and watched her, slitting his eyes so they didn't reflect the little bit of light in the room.

As she neared the bed he smelled the alcohol on her and couldn't help but chuckle inwardly, closing his eyes completely. Generally this was when she would jostle him awake and he waited for the touch that was supposed to bring him awake. Only…it never came. He heard her breathing over him, even felt her thigh nudge the bed accidentally but the touch never came. Nor did her voice break the silence.

After a while he heard her clothes rustling again and then the doorknob turned. He opened his eyes and was just in time to see her slipping back out of the house.

* * *

"Today we'll be discussing ethics." Shikamaru said, yawning into the back of his hand.

"You look like hell, sensei." Konohamaru said, grinning.

Shikamaru glared at the Sarutobi but ultimately decided to let the jibe pass. He didn't have the energy for a battle of wills today.

"What are some ethical dilemmas you may encounter as an active duty shin obi?" He said, writing 'Dilemma' on the board in chalk.

He surveyed the classroom for long moments. Hearing none he gestured to Udon. "Would you do anything to protect your team?" He asked, taking a sip of coffee.

Udon nodded emphatically and someone said something at the back of the class that he didn't quite hear but that everyone began laughing about. Konohamaru shot a glare at the offender and the laughter died out.

He gestured at another student, "Would you kill torture and kill someone for money?" He asked, in the same tone of voice.

The student, looking less sure than Udon had shook his head slowly. "I don't think so, sensei."

"Of course not, that's crazy." Konohamaru said angrily.

"What if the Hokage ordered it as a mission?" He asked, but didn't wait for an answer. "What if it was the only way to save your teammates?"

He saw their conflicted faces and turned back to the board.

"The method of discovering an ethical choice can be taught. Personal ethics are as different as the people in this classroom. What one finds abhorrent another might find distasteful but necessary."

He took a moment to survey the classroom. He had their attention now.

"There is no such thing as good and evil. There are only differing viewpoints and the labels we put on them."

Moegi piped up, looking confused. "What about Orochimaru, and those guys he sent to make us lab rats?"

Shikamaru shook his head. "A matter of perspective albeit a deranged one. Somewhere in his mind, Orochimaru thought that what he was doing was justified and even laudable."

"That's just sick." One of his students said.

"Truth is rarely pretty. You can agree with it or not but if you understand the nature behind an action you can change the state of mind that initiated it."

"No one holding onto any semblance of sanity believes themselves to be evil. That is a fundamental fact. The mind can justify anything except the belief that is inherently flawed. So what are some things that Orochimaru could have used as justification that we, as citizens of Konoha and his victims, made us perceive him as quote 'evil' for his actions?"

His class looked at him hesitantly.

"I'll start you off. He had been passed up for the position of Hokage because the third believed him to be flawed, mentally. So…he could have seen his invasion as a vindication of what he believed to be an unfair judgment on his belief structure and ability."

Konohamaru crossed his arms over his chest. "You want us to make excuses for that weirdo?"

"In a manner of speaking, sure." He said, stifling another yawn.

"That's stupid. That lunatic killed gramps and plenty of people in the village and we'd all be rats in a maze if Chouji-sama hadn't stomped the monkey crap out of those four Oto nin."

Shikamaru waited for the boy to finish, watching his face pink slightly in anger.

"Yes, he did those things. He also killed my parents and while Chouji saved the academy from his shinobi, I was not so lucky. I was that rat in the maze." He waited as the surge of hushed voices quieted back down.

"No one knows better than me how insane he was, Konohamaru. That doesn't change the fact that he didn't believe himself to be evil any more than I believe I am. The point of the exercise is to realize that while you may think you're being righteous in the course of your duties to Konoha, that morality, beyond the scope of the mission is a bit harder to interpret."

He sat down at his desk. "Turn to page seventy nine in your general handbook. We'll read the example of the Iwa nin and his mission to foment discord between two rival nations and how he was ordered to proceed, despite his misgivings."

* * *

"Last mission." Kakashi said, smiling at him, his eyes crinkled.

"Last one for my jonin exams anyway. After this it'll be high ranked missions with no support." He said acidly.

Kakashi said nothing but the smile stayed plastered on his face.

* * *

Shikamaru coughed, spewing water all over the table in front of him. "He's kidding!" He said quickly, feeling adrenaline surge into his limbs.

"Not even a little…" Kakashi said, that same maddening grin on his obscured features. "…he was sent here as a test of his abilities and I'm not allowed to interfere with his mission which, as I said, is to bring your opium business to a halt."

The multitude of guards sitting around the fat drug panderer began standing and easing weapons in their sheaths. Leather and wood creaked as bodies tensed.

_Shit. _

Kakashi, his nose buried in another Ichi Ichi Paradise, spoke matter of factly as he pounded the last nail in Shikamaru's coffin. "If you can kill him, I'll let you go free."

The opium manufacturer, a pig of a man named Kuzu, grew red in the face and yelled, pointing at Shikamaru. "Bring me his head!" He screamed, spitting half chewed bits of chicken.

Shikamaru, acting on instinct and none to pleased with the noonday sun, speared his shadow into the floor in front of him and used it to catapult him backwards. It wasn't something he'd ever tried before, using himself as an anchor for his jutsu, usually it was safer to keep it anchored to the ground but he didn't want to remain stationary and due to his lack of practice at that particular aspect of his bloodline he hurtled through the air, flipping end over end until he crashed through a rice paper window. He rolled to a stop on the dusty road outside the restaurant even as his pursuers began to appear in front of him.

_Too bright out for a shadow pool, no shadow step, minimal use of shadow sewing and a traditional Kagemane will keep me in place just long enough to take a spear in the ribs._

_I'm going to kill Kakashi. _He thought angrily.

* * *

Kakashi only paid partial attention to his book. He stood on the roof of the restaurant and watched the ensuing brawl play out.

Not everything in a mission was going to go the way you wanted it to and he didn't have a dozen missions to evaluate the Nara on so he had decided early to take the boy out of his comfort zone and place him directly into a fight that all his planning hadn't forseen.

He had to admit, it was fun to see the boys face when he'd dropped that particular explosive tag in the middle of a crowded room. He was also ready to swap with the Nara should he become overwhelmed but so far he was only handling hired goons with no formal shin obi training.

He'd observed the two actual shin obi that Kuzu had in his employ and they were still inside, waiting to see if the lesser guards could handle the threat.

It was interesting what the boy could do with a Kagemane though, after so many years of practicing it.

* * *

Shikamaru kicked a barrel, rolling it towards an approaching katana wielder and let it drag his shadow along with it. He was already running towards the man when the Kagemane took hold, thrusting him into a mirror of the same run.

He brought his own hand, empty for the moment, up and around as if he were wielding a sword and countered another attack with his Kagemane victim before shadow sewing his feet to the ground. The man roared in pain and dropped his Katana.

A lance of shadow split away from his feet and wrapped around the hilt of the Katana. "Kage Yose!" He grunted and tossed a double handful of shuriken into the air.

Shadow lances detached from the ground spearing upward in a ridiculous display of charka in the bright sun. The different lances took hold of the dozen shuriken and flung them at his attackers. Most found their mark, a few bounced harmlessly off of makeshift armor but he couldn't help but grin as his attackers began hopping up and down, trying to pull shuriken from the tops of their feet, howling in pain.

He released the jutsu and sagged, the chakra drain from using such a large scale technique leaving him gasping slightly.

The few he hadn't debilitated from the Endgame technique backed away, weapons held in front of them.

He stared at them, hoping he looked fierce instead of just tired.

A few of the people in the square began to clap and even a few cheered and he gave a halfhearted wave as the last of his attackers turned tail and fled. He bent over and tried to catch his breath, his knees going shaky as the adrenaline ran out of him.

He spotted Kakashi and pointed at the retreating guards. Kakashi only smiled at him and pointed behind the Nara.

Shikamaru turned and saw them. They glided out of the restaurant, their feet in synch with each other. Each carried a shortened tanto. He hadn't given them a second glance in the restaurant. They wore subdued kimonos and looked to be twins just out for a late lunch. He realized quickly his error.

The two women slipped out onto the street in front of him.

_Didn't save much for this fight, idiot. _He thought, panting still and trying to stand up straight.

"Alright, ladies. I'm sure we can talk about this."

The one on the right turned slightly to the one on the left and spoke softly though not to him. "Just shadows…"

"…avoid them, be wary for…" The other continued

"…possession techniques." The first finished.

_Shit. _He thought, articulately.

* * *

Kakashi put his book away and began to watch the fight in earnest. He'd taken off his eye patch and was using his Sharingan to track the movements of the twins and Shikamaru as he fought them.

It was amazing to watch him shape shadows into almost any form he wanted. At one point, he attached an explosive tag to one side of a shadow 'shield' and used the resulting blast to not only separate the two ninja but also catapult him out of danger.

He was no match as a swordsman and while he did complete a Kagemane on one of the twins, the left handed one, he only used her as a temporary means to parrying an overhand slice before releasing her almost immediately.

The fight lasted for five minutes and took them out of the small gathering of buildings. He'd started to form the seals to intervene when he saw that Shikamaru stood between the two, kneeling in the grass his breathing coming in gasps. It was an impressive showing from someone he only considered to be at a chunin level for taijutsu.

Then he saw the two women stiffen and kneel just as he was.

"Kagemane complete…" He gasped. "Alright…give up."

Kakashi saw Shikamaru tremble as the twins tried to batter their way out of the Kagemane.

"Fine, have it your way." He stood in a sharp motion and brought both his arms around in a throwing motion.

The twins, spun once in perfect mimicry of his movements and released the tantos in their hands, flipping them end over end towards the Nara. He sidestepped quickly and then bent forward at the waist.

The twins, eyes bulging, bent forward placing their heads directly in the path of the oncoming swords.

He winced as the hilts connected with their heads, making a sound like coconuts crashing together. Shikamaru must have released them at that point, though he still couldn't detect the shadow he'd used, and they fell boneless to the ground.

He leapt down and walked to where the Nara was sitting, leaning back on his hands and sweating.

"Always girls…" He was mumbling to himself.

"You beat them." Kakashi said, smiling down at the Nara.

Shikamaru opened a single eye, glaring at Kakashi. "Don't sound so surprised."

"Too bad Kuzu got away." Kakashi said, sounding mournful.

Shikamaru cursed, rolled up to his feet and began jogging back towards the restaurant.

* * *

Kakashi grinned at the burning poppy fields and then clapped the Nara on the shoulder. "Now _that _was a mission." Then he took his book back out and began walking away from the destruction.

Shikamaru glared murder at the Copy-cat nin and jerked on the rope in his hands. At the other end was tied Kuzu. "Come on, fatass. It's a long hike to the next village."

The man cursed Shikamaru, Konoha and all the gods he could muster for his fate but eventually he got his feet moving.

He tied the man's leash to the back of the wagon and checked the restraints on the twins before climbing into the wagon and gigging the horse forward.

* * *

"Finally out of the way then?" Tsunade asked impatiently.

Kakashi nodded, ruffling the Nara's hair. For his part Shikamaru ignored this breech of his personal space stoically.

"Good. Get out of my office."

Shikamaru peered at Tsunade quizzically. "Isn't there something I should sign?"

"No, that was smoke and mirrors to make you feel trapped. You're a jonin now, seconded by the village's jonin commander. I'll have Shizune add you to the roster…soon." She said glancing back up at the two shin obi.

"And I get a hard time for being manipulative." He muttered.

Tsunade arched her eyebrow at him. "What was that?"

"Thanks." He said grumpily.

"Out."

* * *

Having been promoted to Jonin his teaching days at the academy were over and he wouldn't be asked to take on his own troupe of genin until he'd survived a few missions on his own. He was at a bit of a loss as to what to do with his day.

The majority of it he spent at the Sarutobi compound, worrying about Anko between games and conversation with Asuma.

"Who can say?" Asuma said, glaring at the board in defeat again. "All the women I've ever known weren't very forthcoming with their problems. You ever try listening to her?" He asked, resetting the board.

Shikamaru snorted. "Trying to get a word in edgewise is usually my problem. Not listening."

"You're asking the wrong guy." Asuma said, beginning the game again.

His former student shrugged his shoulders. "Of all the male jonin I know…there's a pervert who only reads porn and a guy who thinks green spandex is good fashion sense. You're the only one that is in any kind of meaningful relationship."

Asuma conceded the point. "If you can't figure it out, just stick to the basics. Assume you did something wrong, give a blanket apology and try to make it up to her as best you can."

"That's ridiculous. I'm not apologizing for something I didn't even realize I did."

Asuma began to open his mouth but was cut off as Kurenai's voice broke the short silence. "Nor should you." She gave Asuma a scalding glare. "If you've done something wrong, you should make the attempt to figure out what it is."

Asuma caught his eye and mouthed, _'It works.' _

Kurenai cuffed his shoulder and looked at Shikamaru with her disconcerting red eyes. "Just talk to her."

* * *

Kurenai's advice became easier said than done. Anko had left a note, explaining a mission that had come up. She'd be gone for the better part of a month. He sighed and placed the note carefully in a small box in the study.

It was the hazard of dating an active shin obi. Generally couples either drifted apart due to the time they spent apart on active duty or one would move to inactive status so at least one was available all the time. He lamented not being back in time to at least say goodbye to her but he rarely feared for her anymore.

She was, by all accounts, as competent a jonin as Kakashi in terms of skill, if not experience.

He had fixed himself a modest meal and was about to try to read himself to sleep when a soft knock came at his door.

Out of habit he palmed a kunai and re-applied the Kagemane jutsu to his body. It was dark enough now that it cost him very little chakra to maintain it. _Should have had it up since sundown. Village life is making me soft again. _He thought uncharitably.

He spread his shadow under the door, feeling for the two feet and then extended it a small distance further. He muttered a quick, "Kage sochi." and shadow stepped behind his visitor.

The movement must have been quiet. He stood behind a cloaked figure who hadn't stirred from his spot in front of the Nara's door. "What?" He asked, intended to startle the unknown visitor.

The cloaked figure in front of him chuckled softly and he heard another voice, behind him say, "That is a useful jutsu."

He spun, the tables turned now and saw a similarly cloaked figure standing in front of him, a porcelain cat mask affixed over her face.

_Creepy. _Was his only thought as the cat anbu handed him a scroll.

"You are commanded, by Hokage law, to report to the Tower."

He stared at the anbu. "When…now?" He looked at the moon. _About two am. _

The Anbu said nothing, only nodded once. He made a hand symbol and disappeared in a flurry of leaves.

_Wish someone would teach me that jutsu. _He grumped to himself.

He turned back to his door, intending to retrieve his shoes only to be foiled as he realized his door was locked.

"Damnit." _The lesser known dangers of shadow stepping. _He mused to himself.

* * *

As he reached the base of the tower he realized, at some point, he had begun to pick up a retinue of Anbu. They followed him in a perfectly silent procession. At the door he was joined by two more that flanked him on either side.

They hadn't actually grabbed him yet but they guided him very purposely through the tower. He expected to head directly for the Hokage's office, as well as what appeared to be the worst ass chewing of his life. They never turned towards the stairs though, instead turned down a different hallway and began sinking deeper into the tower's foundation.

After what seemed like an eternity of downward spiraling stairs they stopped outside a door marked with the flowing black mark of the anbu.

Cat mask knocked twice on the door which opened on well oiled hinges. He was ushered through the door by the four Anbu with him.

He'd heard tell of the Anbu command center but until now he'd never been there, likely as it was off limits to non-anbu. As mysterious as the Anbu appeared to be he had been expecting something a bit more melodramatic. Arched ceilings and marble walls lit by flickering candles.

What greeted him could have passed for any general barracks assembly area. A wall with a large map of the nations was the only exception and on it he could see small, glowing green dots as if marked with chakra for some purpose he didn't quite understand.

A few people bustled about but for the most part the area was clear of traffic.

Tsunade's voice cut through the bustle like a hot knife through butter, bringing his attention to her. "I assume you know why you've been brought here."

Shikamaru nodded. Non-Anbu weren't allowed in the command center, not even during planning for the invasion had he had access to the inner sanctum of the Hokage's hand.

"The Anbu took heavy losses during the invasion of Orochimaru. I need competent shin obi I can trust to take up their mantle. It's not an easy task I command of you, Nara Shikamaru but while you are with the Anbu I can promise you that your every need will be attended to as well as your estate."

Her choice of words was not lost on him. He was not being asked to join the Anbu squad. No one was ever asked. It was by the hand of Hokage and as such was subject to her will.

"I'm not sure what you expect out of me, I'm not…"

Tsunade chuckled and gestured at a pile of neatly folded clothes capped with 'his' mask. "Not what? Trained enough? There are several things you'll be trained in as a result of becoming Anbu but first and foremost the Anbu are an assassination squad and you accomplished what many have tried and failed at when you killed Orochimaru. You're exactly what I want."

She nodded to the Anbu behind him. He tried not to tense up as they drew kunai and cut every stitch of clothing he had off of him and ripped it from his wirey frame. The tattered clothes were thrown to the side where another Anbu used a fire jutsu to disintegrate them.

Naked now, he was acutely aware of the Hokage's eyes on him but if she was bothered by his form she didn't show it. _Nor would she. You don't become the greatest medic nin of a generation by blushing at every naked ninja you came across on an operating table. _

The Hokage stepped towards him, her face grim. Cat mask handed her a wet sponge. She took his left arm in her hands firmly and scrubbed at his shoulder vigorously. "Precision without folly. Vigilance without peer. Obedience without question." She said, staring him in the eye.

She patted his shoulder dry and the sponge was taken from her to be replaced by a small pot of ink and a paintbrush. Carefully and painstakingly she painted the symbol of the Anbu on his left shoulder. Her hands were as steady as a surgeons the entire time. The pot and the brush disappeared and she made a few hand symbols before placing her hand over his shoulder.

His arm grew hot for a moment and then returned to normal. He looked down at her hand as she pulled away, expecting to see the ink smeared on her. None of the ink had come away though and he looked at his shoulder. Slightly raised on his skin was the Anbu mark, as permanent as if it had been tattooed.

She leaned down and took the porcelain mask from atop the pile of his uniform. It was simple, as all anbu masks were. Only a few black lines that gave it any definition. In this case it was shaped and marked in the form of a snakes head. "You are Nara Shikamaru no longer." She said, bringing the mask over his face. "All will know you only as Hyakki, Anbu of the Hokage."

* * *

The next few weeks were spent primarily in the Anbu headquarters. He took his meals there, slept there and was assured that his estate was being cared for, including the watering of his plants and herding of the few deer he still had a claim to.

He had thought that at some point the Anbu, among themselves, must take off the masks but it seemed they never would and while they knew who he was he would never know them. When he asked about it he was rewarded with a cryptic answer.

Cat mask, who had identified herself as Neko, while teaching him advanced anatomy had said, "When no one knows your face but you, you have earned the trust of all."

He supposed it meant that if all the other Anbu had to endure that ritual while the old timers were being replaced, eventually no one would know his face but he would know everyone's. Still…the mask was difficult to get used to. That didn't even cover how he felt about having his hair cut short. Normally controlled by a ponytail and it's own weight the shortened locks did nothing but stand on end in spiky bursts.

Still, it was one less decision he had to make every morning. The textbook training he shot through easily. There was very little he couldn't pick up on the first pass and he already had a working knowledge of sword handling. While he thought this was a boon the Anbu teaching him, a boar masked man named Baku, said that some knowledge was worse than none.

"It generally means you learned something out of context. It takes ten thousand days to learn the sword and all of them have order."

Shikamaru exhaled noisily. "That's twenty seven years. I'm not going to be cooped up that long am I?" He asked sarcastically but only got the blank stare of an Anbu mask in return.

* * *

_Was dinking around before class and shot this out in a few hours. _

_It's hard to put down if you get into the mood to write. Read and enjoy._

_Anbu Dave  
_


	16. Chapter 16: Killing time

Chapter 16: Killing time

He surveyed the table. Once you learned the rules it was like anything else. Physics, jutsu and shogi. The only thing in the entirety of his life that didn't have rules and behavioral patterns was Anko.

Thirty six by thirty six, Taikyoku shogi was, for lack of a better word, complex. Four hundred and two pieces with two hundred and fifty three different ways of moving them, a list of acceptable promotions but more importantly…mortality. No pieces could be replayed. When lost they were lost for good.

_Like people._

He was currently playing against four other people who controlled separate aspects of the board. They'd changed the rules when the first game had gone his way, progressively making it harder. First it had been two moves to his every one but now they were up to taking a turn each before he could make one.

The game had been going on for almost a month and a half now and was nowhere near being completed. Patterns in thought between the players was starting to emerge.

Anko was the same on the board as off of it. Always in motion, violence incarnate, unpredictable. She didn't see the use in having pieces that weren't actively in play. Only her right flank, controlled by Ibiki, had saved her from being swept from the board entirely.

Tsunade's pieces couldn't play yet but he watched them everyday, hoping to see that her part of the board had opened up. His last opponent was the problem. While Ibiki was tied up trying to cover Anko's pieces, something he was profoundly grateful for as the torture specialist was a shrewd tactician, Kakashi had taken advantage of the….brawl that Anko had initiated and had used the time to set up a double-penetrating defense that he couldn't counter without opening himself up to Ibiki's building assault.

He assumed the eternity pose and closed his eyes, the board still dancing in his mind. He had been on the defensive for a week now.

* * *

"Breathing." The Anbu under him said in a bored tone.

He grumbled under his breath. "This is asinine, I can shadow-step in here and it's silent as the grave."

"I saw that little jutsu of yours…I didn't see it stop your breathing."

Shikamaru ground his teeth together.

"If you can't do it, quit." The Anbu shrugged and took a sip of his tea without looking up into the rafters where the Nara crouched.

_Like Tsunade wouldn't beat me to a bloody pulp._

"Being Anbu isn't about what you can do in the best conditions, Hyakki. It's what you can consistently accomplish in the worst."

_Not using any chakra at all to stalk a shinobi with twice my experience is a pretty bad situation. _

"Try again."

It was an exercise he'd yet to complete and he'd been at it since he started training with the Anbu. Wherever he was told to go, whoever was instructing him next, he had to sneak there. If anyone saw or heard him they'd call out and he'd have to stop and walk so that all could see him.

_The walk of shame. _

He fell out of the rafters next to the Anbu and continued on down the hallway.

"Still clomping around, Hyakki-san?" Baku said, bemused.

Shikamaru shrugged and stuffed his hands into his pockets before Baku continued on. "No matter, we'll be making plenty of noise soon enough. You've graduated to an actual training sword." He tossed the banded bamboo 'sword' to Shikamaru. He'd seen the other Anbu wearing them as well though he couldn't say why. As far as he could tell he was the only Anbu currently in training.

Baku paced him through his kata, saying nothing as he fought invisible enemies. When he finished the boar-masked Anbu nodded. "Passable." They sparred for a very intense few minutes and then abruptly stopped.

He stared at Baku, grateful that his mask was hiding his perplexed look. "That's it?"

Baku only chuckled. "You're going to want to keep that sword with you, from now on if any Anbu spot you moving in the halls, they will attack you."

"What!" He groaned, his voice particularly loud in his own ears due to the mask.

Baku shook his head. "I wasn't finished. They'll attack you and you're only allowed to use a sword and Taijutsu to defend yourself."

The larger man walked towards him. "Don't be upset, Hyakki. You're making excellent progress, I myself took twice as long to graduate to a training sword."

Baku patted him on the shoulder but for all that it meant to him, Shikamaru felt like braining him one with his newest 'accomplishment'.

"Neko is waiting for you. You've finished anatomy and it's on to poisons."

* * *

Shikamaru limped through the door, righting his crooked mask. He was pretty sure that his lip was split but he couldn't inspect it until he either went to the bathroom or was released for the day.

_That's going to get really old, really fast. _

* * *

"How's he doing, Tenzo?" Tsunade asked, looking over the Shogi board. She hadn't learned the rules behind her pieces yet but she was the closest thing they had to a regular player as she knew the twelve by twelve version.

"Not here." Was the only reply she got from the cat-masked Anbu. He had, by far, the best record of any currently active Anbu and came with the Third's personal approval. She trusted his judgement even though she was annoyed.

She gestured for him to lead and he took them to a small room to the side of the main where wards were in place for secure meetings.

As Tenzo closed the door and ensured the sound wards were still in place she sat down on a remarkably uncomfortable chair and waited for him to speak.

"No one's seen him since his second week."

Tsunade snorted a laugh. "That's ridiculous, I just saw him twenty minutes ago." Her mirth faded as he shook his head.

"That's not what I mean, Hokage-sama."

She stared at the Anbu intently. "Explain."

He explained their training methods. "We time his lessons. When he's sneaking between we assume he's in certain rooms and just call out. So far his confidence in himself is on par with where it should be but his training progression is…alarming otherwise."

Tsunade arched her eyebrow at the Anbu.

"He's…memorized everything we've put in front of him."

She had never been an Anbu, medic nin were in too high a demand to put them only at the disposal of the Hokage and she'd never had the stomach for assassination. So she didn't understand where his trepidation was stemming from. "That's bad?"

"Not in and of itself, Hokage-sama. The regime is designed to stress mental and technique development rather than physicality. Only his swordsmanship is holding back his advancement. In that he's progressing at a normal pace. If it wasn't for that I would authorize him for assisted missions right now."

He sat down across from her. "His body will not keep pace with his mind. We're having to ramp up the physical portions to attempt to balance the two. It's not…without a bit of pain."

"What do you propose?" She asked, seeing the problem now.

Tenzo paused a moment. "Nothing until he figures out the sneaking exercise, but afterwards I'd like to send him out on an A-class unassisted and an S-class under myself."

She nodded, she'd been holding onto two assassinations in particular until the Nara was ready. "I'll leave his training to you. Tenzo. You come with high praise from the Sandaime Hokage. I'll trust your judgement, unfortunately this will be your last day training him. I've another mission for you."

He lifted his mask. "I…" He floundered for a moment. "Hokage-sama, if you command it I will take on this new mission but given a choice I would rather focus on Hyakki's development. He's proving problematic but I think given the right amount of effort in the right places he'll be your next Anbu captain in a year."

Tsunade smiled at him. "I appreciate your honesty, if I could ask anyone else to do this I would leave you to train him as you saw fit, unfortunately your…skillset makes you the only candidate."

* * *

"Creeking wood." Shikamaru froze.

_No…I didn't make a sound. _

He breathed evenly and slowly through his nose. His sword, now an actual tanto with leather wrappings, lay against his back but he resisted the urge to draw it out. He counted the seconds out in his head evenly. A full minute passed and the Anbu called out again.

"Creeking wood."

He slipped around the Anbu moving carefully, his heart beating faster. He never made a move towards him.

_A trick?_

The next corridor was the same. He made his way to the sword-circle, his steps growing bolder. He all but swaggered into the arena, quite sure that he was the paramount of shin obi form.

Feeling emboldened by the first-time success he dropped out of the shadows behind Baku and cleared his throat. The last thing he remembered was an elbow growing in his vision.

Anko glared at the shogi table in disgust.

_They're being pansies._

She made her move, not really bothering to plan it out more than a step or two in advance. Her heart wasn't in it but that didn't mean she couldn't kick some ass.

She hadn't been an anbu in a little over a year but once you were made one you were always allowed back. You just weren't privy to mission information anymore. She knew, of course, which mask was Shikamaru's but it didn't do her any good. They hadn't had a spare moment together since he'd started his training.

That wasn't the problem.

She had been burying herself in missions trying to avoid him and for the most part it had worked. As a result they hadn't spoken a word in almost two months.

Nor was that the problem.

She had hoped that the time apart would allow her to come to terms with his eyes. That missing him would overcome her fear of them. It _was_ fear. She wouldn't say it outloud but the things she'd endured once Orochimaru had decided to go for the gold with his experiments…they were seared into her mind.

Those Kami cursed eyes haunted her. It was worse now with his new mask. She'd only seen him a few times and always from hiding. Orochimaru's facial features and demeanor had always been serpentine and now so were Shikamaru's.

No, after two months of almost no contact, she still didn't want to see him. That was the problem. The infuriating part is that he'd probably already figured out why she wasn't around and he was doing the one thing that she couldn't get angry about. Namely, he wasn't trying to fix it. He was letting her make whatever decision she wanted.

_He probably wont even judge me. _She sighed and made her way out of the Anbu headquarters. _This sucks._

* * *

"Now, for the most important piece of equipment that you hope you'll never use." Neko pulled a small box from a pouch on her hip and presented it to Shikamaru.

He took it carefully and began to open it before she stopped him.

"It's nothing special, just two pills. The first one you take immediately and if you have time you take the second one a full minute later. If you're pressed for time you can take them both at the same time but there will be discomfort." She said, her voice fading somewhat.

"Discomfort?" He asked, trying to read her eyes.

She turned away from him and began packing away the various herbs they'd been experimenting with. "Your first mission is tonight, Hyakki. We've trained you to be ready for it but planning isn't everything. If something goes wrong and your capture is inevitable, you are to commit suicide. The first offers a painless death while the second corrupts your blood vessels making any postumus examination pointless."

He examined the box for a moment and then packed it neatly away in a chest pouch. "Anything else?" He asked, sounding bored.

"I read your mission brief, it seems pretty straightforward. You don't have to make it appear as though it were accidental or anything and the target is stationary."

"What did he do?"

Neko shrugged. "Their deeds are unimportant. The Hokage commands, we obey. To delve into reasons invites us to judge and that is not what Anbu are. Do your duty, respect your victims and return safely."

* * *

"Hyakki, I'm not going to start giving explanations in my mission briefs. You are Anbu, act accordingly." Tsunade grumbled at him. Her face softened somewhat, realizing his difficulty.

She set down her pen and looked at him for the first time since he'd entered her office. "I know you've killed before, Hyakki…but it's always been on your own terms. I also know that you're versed in ethics. The dilemna your facing isn't a matter of right or wrong. I've already poured over that. The question that should be in your head is whether you should trust my judgement or not." She turned towards the window and gestured out at Konoha.

"They're all depending on me to make the right decisions for Konoha. I can't say that I've always been perfect. There's quite a few things that I've made mistakes on since taking up the mantle of Hokage." She turned back to him and tossed the file folder in her hand onto the desk in front of him.

"I can't guarentee that every mission I send you on will be a perfect solution, sometimes they are quick fixes." He stiffened at this.

"I _can_ promise that if I had the ability to, I would do these missions myself instead of asking others to." She looked down to pull her chair up and as she looked up and sat down, she realized that he was gone and the file folder with it.

* * *

He already knew the reason why she'd ordered this particular assassination. Just not how it realated to Konoha.

He'd met her once before.

As he looked down at her sleeping form he realized that the year between their last contact hadn't been kind to her. Several scars that hadn't been there before were present. He marked, in his head, that the new scars he could see were all on her left side.

_She never learned to fight without her brother. _

He had slipped past their sentry, the earth jutsu expert, easy enough but now that he was here he still hadn't found the water jutsu nin that they'd been traveling with before.

As he watched the rhythmic rise and fall of her chest a thousand things poured through his mind. He thought most about Karma and how their lives had been brought around in a full circle after he'd released her. Maybe it had been a mistake. She'd obviously damaged Konoha in some way that he had yet to understand.

All his thoughts slowed down as he realized that none of them were directed towards whether or not he should end her life. He'd already accepted that he was going to kill her. He was simply trying to justify it for his own reasons.

He waited for hours, watching the moonlight play over her sleep-softened features. She was pretty when she wasn't in a rage or scowling in contempt. Hair that had probably been cut with a kunai, full lips, a heart shaped face.

The earth user clomped into the camp, finished with his portion of the watch and knocked on a tree. Liquid, black as shadow bubbled out of a hollow in the tree and reformed as a man in front of the earth user. That was the last bit of the puzzle he needed. Where the third was. He had come upon them when it was her watch.

The sun wouldn't lighten the sky for another three hours so he waited until he heard the blissfully unaware snores of the earth jutsu user floating through the camp.

He began to realize what a powerful tool the Byakugan was. He'd never have been able to get this close if he had been facing Neji.

He formed a small tentacle of shadow and used it to take a small ampule from his thigh pouch. The shadow covered it completely and then began to elongate into a thin needle, far finer than anything in a hospital. He waited for a gust of wind to rustle the leaves of the tree he was in before breaking the stopper of the ampule but he needn't have. He'd made the shadow so dense that no sound escaped it.

It had to be silent, that was the only thing the surrounding factors dictated. It had to be silent or he'd have a fight on his hands. He could kill silently in any number of ways. That wasn't the problem. He just didn't want there to be any pain for her.

She could just drift into whatever dream she was having.

He split the shadow into two needles and let it stretch down towards her. He watched it's progress, looking like a spider, hanging by a thin thread of shadow. He adjusted the chakra flowas the wind pushed at the gossamer thin shadow. As it reached her skin he gave a small prayer before pushing the needles into the side of her neck where her heart beat was visible.

It was only there for a second, tantamount to a mosquito bite. After pushing a small amount of the poison into her he pulled it away, quickly. Her hand came up to scratch at the spot absently and he pulled the shadow back to him, dropping the spent ampule into a separate pouch and releasing the shadow.

As he watched the growing bruises on her neck he realized that the twin needles now looked like a snake bite. He didn't know why but that gave him a bit of peace in the act. Maybe it was because it put his mark on her so that anyone could see it and know that he, specifically had done the deed. Killing someone in a fight was hard enough, sneaking up to them while they slept was something he was struggling with.

He wanted to shout that he had been the one to do it and then fight the remaining two nin, as if that would make the deed any less nefarious.

Unconsciously he touched the place on his cheek where she had kissed him. _This isn't like killing oto-nin._

She sighed as the two bruises began to turn into one. Just a breathy sigh, feminine and lovely and then she was gone.

* * *

"There was no trouble?" Tsunade asked, taking a sip of the sake in front of her. Across the table sat Jiraiya who was sprawled insolently across several pillows and plucking at biwa idly. Baku bowed slightly indicating there had been no trouble.

They were in a side office she rarely used. It was connected to her own and she'd had it furbished as a sort of meeting room for visiting dignitaries.

She nodded. "Did he see you?"

The Anbu hesitated a moment and then spoke earnestly. "I don't think so, Hokage-sama but there were several times when I couldn't account for his whereabouts so I can't be certain. His jutsu is almost impossible to track. I'm fortunate that it has a limited range or I would have lost him entirely."

Jiraiya grinned at the anbu. "What jutsu is that?"

Baku bowed deeply and spoke to the floor. "With respect, Jiraiya-sama, it is a bloodline technique that could compromise the identity of the anbu in question."

Jiraiya waved him off. "Say no more." He went back to plucking.

Baku straightened up and turned back to Tsunade. "If that is all, Hokage-sama?" He said, meaning to dismiss himself.

"There's another folder in your box, Baku." She said and he bowed again before exiting the room.

Jiraiya waited until the door closed before speaking again. "Shikamaru?" He asked, not looking at her.

"Yes." She said, sounding guarded.

"He's a little young, isn't he?"

She filled her own glass again before answering. "No younger than Kakashi was and quite a bit older than Itachi."

He changed the subject, sensing danger. "How is Kakashi?"

Tsunade sighed. "Difficult."

He grinned broadly. "Good, at least a few of my teachings trickled down to him."

She opened her mouth to rebuke him when the door burst open, admitting a flushed Shizune. "Tsunade-sama!"

She turned towards her apprentice sharply. There were few things that didn't fluster Shizune but there was something in her voice that brooked attention. "What is it?"

She panted a moment, catching her breath and then let it out in a rush. "Suna's requesting aid, the Kazakage has been abducted."

She cursed colorfully and then stood. "How long ago?"

"We just received the message, hours at most."

"Fetch Hyakki and team seven." _That's an s-class if I've ever heard one. _

Shizune gave a quick "Hai." and was gone again.

She turned to Jiraiya who had stopped playing. Before she could ask he waved her off. "I can't, I was only passing through. I have to get back to tracking Akatsuki. They're starting to move overtly now."

She glared at him. "There are people in the village other than Naruto, Jiraiya."

He stood and groaned a little, retrieving his geta. "I'm retired, Tsunade. What I do with my personal time is not your affair."

He didn't face her as he said it, instead he tied his intrument to a travel pack and shouldered it, his face unreadable.

She gave a quiet, "Sorry."

"Don't worry about it. Don't tell Naruto I passed through though or I'll never hear the end of it when I see him next." He smiled at her and she shook her head in exasperation.

"You summoned me, Hokage?" Shikamaru said, pushing open the door.

"Holy crap!" Jiraiya shouted, spinning around quickly. "Don't sneak up on people like that! I'm old, you'll give me a heart attack." He pressed his hand over his chest.

"The door was open." Shikamaru said, his hands in is pockets and sounding bored.

Jiraiya scoffed comically and then grew serious. "I didn't have a chance to thank you before."

He lifted his face mask, setting it on top of his head. "For?" He said, looking at the sanin skeptically.

"Orochimaru. I know it was our responsibility and we tried for years to pin him down…that probably sounds a bit like an excuse but regardless. You did what we couldn't."

"Asuma was the one that…" But he stopped as Jiraiya raised his hand.

"Not to hear him tell it. I thanked him as well." He stuck out his hand and Shikamaru took it. The sanin pumped it a few times and clapped him on the shoulder.

He pushed open the door again and was gone.

Tsunade turned to him and pointed to her office. They walked out of the meeting room in silence. He sat down in front of her desk and she behind it. "The Kazekage has been abducted."

If he was surprised it didn't show. "Who took him?"

She shook her head. "We're still receiving information. I also sent for team 7, you will accompany them as a temporary member of their team. You'll be in your capacity as an Anbu but traveling as a jonin. Your mission will be to assist Team 7 in retrieving the Kazekage. Once he's secure you will assess the objectives of the unknown shinobi that took him and then kill them should you deem it necessary."

"What do you mean?" He asked, staring at her with golden eyes. Orders had always been just that, orders. Not ambiguous directives.

"I'm giving you some leeway on this one as we're unsure of the details. The Kazekage's safety is the only mission that Team 7 will be given. Determine if these abductors are threats to Konoha or our allies and deal with them accordingly. I trust your judgement, for the most part." She said, tacking the last of that thought on with a pointed stare.

He stood and sighed. "Ok. It sounds a little…difficult."

"Not too much for 'The Pit Snake'." Tsunade grinned, flashing her teeth at him.

"I hate that nickname."

Tsunade rolled her eyes. "Whatever, go get changed before team seven shows up."

He ambled towards the door, his hands back in his pockets

* * *

She was just finishing re-growing his hair as team seven arrived in a bustle of activity. Naruto was practically vibrating to be off. He'd heard that the Kazekage was none other than his friend Gaara of the sand and had sprinted the entire way, much to the chagrin of his team.

Sakura stood next to Kakashi deferentially but bowed to Tsunade. Tsunade gave her a small smile and then addressed Kakashi who was still reading one of those detestable books.

"As you may or may not already know, the Kazekage has been abducted by an unknown group of ninjas. Your team is being augmented by Nara Shikamaru. You will travel to Suna and assist them with any recovery efforts. Your priority is the safe return of the Kazekage at all costs."

Naruto waved at Shikamaru, looking a little embarrassed. "Hey Shika."

The Nara nodded at him, his eyes half lidded. He tied his hair up into it's old ponytail, glad to have it back, if only for a single mission. "Hey guys."

He wore the same flak jacket as Kakashi but had brought his tanto sword as well. He was passable with it now and saw no reason to leave it behind.

The rest of his gear was stored on summons scrolls located in the flak jacket. It made traveling so much easier.

"Did you have questions, Kakashi?" She said, her voice going hard.

He shook his head and the book snapped shut. "Nope, we'll get going." He turned to his two students. "Meet at the maingate in twenty minutes, bring enough supplies for three days."

Shikamaru had to stop himself from rolling his eyes. Suna was a day and a half of travel at most.

They both muttered a quick 'Hai!' and were gone in a flurry of elbows and shoving.

When he saw that Shikamaru wasn't moving he turned and quirked his eyebrow at the Nara. "All ready, Shika-kun?"

He eyed the Copycat ninja for a moment. They both knew he was anbu and they both knew that he was travel ready with the scrolls in his flak jacket. Why he was asking dumb questions he already knew the answers to Shikamaru couldn't say. "Yeah."

"Oh good. I heard you have a new jutsu, I'd love to see it."

They both turned as they heard a small snapping sound coming from the Hokage's desk. The pen she'd been writing with lay in her hand in two pieces and her face had a dangerous pink flush. "I'm so glad I can provide a meeting hall for my jonin to schmooze and converse in while Kage's are being kidnapped left and right." Her tirade grew in volume until they were both wincing.

When she finished Kakashi grinning apologetically at her and scratched the back of his head. "Sorry. We'll be quieter next time." She began to open her mouth and he made a quick hand symbol and disappeared in a flurry of flying paperwork.

Shikamaru had finally learned that particular substitution technique. It wasn't very different from using a solid object, it just required roughly the same mass in whatever you were using. Lee and Guy liked to use leaves. When compressed together and then thrown apart with the dissipating chakra it was rather dramatic.

That Kakashi had thought it was a good idea to use paperwork from another room was proof enough that he wasn't fielding all of his faculties. He made a hasty, if less dramatic, retreat as well.

They reunited with the rest of the team at the gate.

"Ohayo, Shika!" Naruto yelled, waving as he caught sight of the slowly walking Nara. "Move your ass!"

This earned him a noogie from Sakura who, from all reports was now only surpassed in raw strength by her mentor, the Hokage. The noogie was not a place he would want to be. "He's a jonin now, Naruto! You're still a stupid genin."

Naruto rubbed his scalp as she released him. "Stupid! Then you're stupid right along with…" Never one to have a quick handle on the situation he never-the-less came to the correct conclusion pretty fast. "You mean you made chunin?"

Sakura looked apologetically at Naruto. "Naruto, everyone is a chunin now except you. Our whole academy class."

His eyebrow twitched and Shikamaru intervened. "You can't take chunin selection exams when you're being privately tutored by legendary frog hermits. You'll be a pretty far ahead in the next exam."

Kakashi slapped Naruto on the back, his eyes crinkled in a grin. "Unless they plant a ringer like last time."

"Thanks Kakashi." Shikamaru grunted sarcastically.

They set out with little fanfare, just a quick word to the two chunin guarding the gate. When they were out of sight of the main populace they picked up the pace, bounding over the ground in great, leaping strides. The undergrowth had been burned out that spring so they didn't have to take to the trees which was perfectly fine by him.

Naruto, ever the paramount of tact, blurted out, "So how was the fight with Orochimaru? Kurenai-san said you really took it to him, Shika."

He sighed into the wind. "I didn't do anything. I just got knocked around until Asuma showed up. He's the one that killed Orochimaru."

Naruto frowned, looking put out. "Oh. Well at least that crazy bastard is gone."

_As gone as the Third is, as my parents are. He still has his legacy, Naruto. He'll never be completely gone, he's affected too many lives. _

"Did he say anything….before he died?" Sakura asked, turning to him and then back to the trail in front of her.

"There wasn't a whole lot of speaking going on."

Sakura nodded, "Nothing about Sasuke at all though?"

"If he had given me information on Sasuke the last of the Uchiha's would already be dead." He said, the boredom in his voice evaporating.

Naruto slid to a stop and the rest followed suit. "You better watch what you say, Shika!" The blond genin pointed at him angrily, his face flushing red.

Sakura had crossed her arms and was staring at him archly now and while Kakashi didn't have a defensive posture he _was _watching the exchange intently.

"I should care about a traitor?" He said, putting his hands behind his head. "As soon as he's declared a missing nin and I get intel on his whereabouts I'll track him and put him down like any other rabid animal."

He could hear the leather of Sakura's gloves creaking. "The hell you will! He's our team mate, we'll deal with him. He's not a traitor, Shikamaru, he's just…confused."

He turned towards her and scowled a moment before laughing. "Generally when someone abandons their village to side with the people that killed their Hokage…the reasons aren't really important. If he's that 'confused' he really does need a kunai in the head."

"Now…" She started but he ran over her.

"Shut up." He said, not really angry anymore. Stupid generally couldn't be reasoned with but that didn't mean he had to listen to their views on the subject. He began walking again, shoving his hands into his pockets.

He felt a burst of killed intent at his back and paused.

"Don't talk to her like that!" Naruto roared. Then he was charging, too angry to stop himself.

Shikamaru saw Kakashi begin to move but he stopped him with an Anbu hand signal. _'No.'_

He clenched his fists in his pockets and waited. Naruto hit him across the left side of his face and while he'd been expecting it, it still knocked him into the dirt. He couldn't have allowed Sakura to hit him, he'd have been turned to paste.

He spit but there was no blood. His face was already heating up as it swelled but he ignored it as he stood. Naruto's rage had fled as soon as he'd hit the Nara and now he just looked upset.

"I wont lie to you two, three I guess." He said, nodding at Kakashi. "I'm going to jump at the chance to go after him. He watched my mother die in agony because of Orochimaru and he left with that bastard. He left and he didn't even close her eyes, I know because he was dragging me."

He rubbed his throbbing jaw and spit again. "If he was on his knees right now in front of me, begging forgiveness I would tear off his head just to make sure the Oto nin don't have access to an activated Sharingan. I want to do it but more importantly it's my duty which is what you two need to learn about."

"It's troublesome that he's your former team mate but so was Orochimaru to Tsunade…" He said, nodding at Sakura. "…and Jiraiya…" This time at Naruto.

"They didn't stop him before he became too powerful…not because they wanted to save him. They must have known deep inside that he was beyond redemption. They wanted to save themselves the pain of having to kill someone that meant so much to them."

He sat down on a small rock and rubbed the back of his neck. _When did he start hitting that hard? _"How many atrocities could have been avoided if the Sandaime had just killed him when he'd had the chance? Or if Jiraiya and Tsunade had accepted he wasn't coming back and hunted him to his grave? All those deaths aren't at Orochimaru's feet, they're at his team's. The cowards that couldn't do what they knew had to be done, despite their own feelings."

He stood back up and couldn't stop a small groan. "So…you can hide behind your anger or behind some stupid fan-girl crush or you can grow up and be ninja and maybe save a few lives. If it was my teammate I'd be hounding Tsunade to put him on the missing nin roster the second he left voluntarily."

Naruto was staring at him with a pained expression and Sakura was facing slightly away, he could see small, damp spots on the dusty ground at her feet. "You can agree with me or not, but for the sake of the mission at hand, we need to keep moving."

He turned but was brought up short by Sakura. "Wait."

She walked towards him, her hands coming up. He flinched until he saw the green glow surrounding them. The pain ebbed and then finally stopped altogether as she cupped his head in her hands. "Thanks." He said, working his jaw a few times.

"I'm sorry about your mother, Shikamaru." She said in the barest whisper.

Not quite sure what to do he placed a hand on her shoulder and jerked his head back towards the path. "Lots of ground before nightfall. We can talk when we make camp."

* * *

"Why'd you let me hit you?" Naruto asked over a mouthful of rabbit stew.

_Never one to let his spirits go down for long. _He found that he admired that about the Uzumaki.

"It was safer."

The blonde's eyebrows scrunched together. "What do you mean?"

"I can't subdue Sakura. I don't think half the Nara clan working together could. She would have come to your defense if we fought. Due to the mission at hand it becomes a tangle of unacceptable variables after that. Can I stop you without hurting you so you're battle ready, can I avoid Sakura long enough for her to calm down so that I will be battle ready?"

Sakura, who was still in a funk, perked up at this tidbit. "See, Naruto? Not even Shikamaru would mess with me."

Kakashi who had eaten his entire meal while still managing to hide his face, turned a page and spoke in a distracted tone. "He said he couldn't subdue you, what he didn't say was 'without hurting you'."

She wilted a little at this but Shikamaru chose not to comment.

Naruto, after having finished half the overall rations for the night himself leaned back against a log and patted his distended belly. They went on in comfortable silence but he watched the blonde genin as the thoughts tumbled through his mind and eventually played out on his face.

He leaned forward after a while and for once looked morose. "It'll never end you know."

They all turned to him except Kakashi who giggled at whatever he was reading in his book.

"Naruto?" Sakura asked, looking confused.

He poked at the fire halfheartedly. "The cycle of violence, it'll never end with revenge. You kill the person that hurt you, someone close to them kills you for the same reason and on and on forever."

Shikamaru shrugged. "Criminals have to be brought to justice or there's no order in society but your argument is based on the assumption that Sasuke has people that care about him other than you three."

"What about the Sound Village?" Sakura asked, seeing a hole in his argument.

Kakashi piped in, still thumbing through the little orange book. "Oto-nin are kill or capture on sight for Konoha and Sunakagure both."

Naruto quirked an eyebrow at this. "Kakashi-sensei?"

Sakura interjected on their sensei's behalf when he ignored Naruto's question. "He means that it's the same problem anyways, even if no one in Otogakure cares about Sasuke we'd still have to fight them."

"So really, it's only you three that could keep that cycle going." Shikamaru said, his hands under his head as he stared at the stars.

They said nothing for a while, the only sound in the stillness was the soft crackling of the fire.

After a while Naruto got a mischievous look on his face and his gaze fixed on Shikamaru. "How's Anko?" He asked, looking pleased with himself.

Sakura covered a giggle with her hand. Shikamaru sighed and sat up, leaning on one of his elbows. "When's the last time you saw her?" He asked, his eyes flashing in the firelight at them.

Naruto tapped his lip and looked up, trying to remember the last time he'd seen the woman. "Dunno, maybe a month? We were at Ichiraku's and she was getting dango."

Shikamaru smiled slightly at this but it evaporated quickly. "Then you tell me, you saw her last."

Sakura covered her mouth with her hand. "You didn't break up did you?"

Shikamaru thought about this for a moment. "No."

"Well…did you have a fight or something?" She asked, leaning forward and in her element.

"Nope."

She thought about this for a moment. "Oh! Missions keeping you apart?"

"Not really, no."

Naruto piped in while Sakura was exploring other avenues. "Well why haven't you seen her then?"

"She's avoiding me."

"Why?"

"I don't know."

"You should ask her." From Sakura now.

Shikamaru lay back down. "The reason doesn't really matter."

Naruto scratched his head. "Sure it does, if you know…then you can fix it."

Shikamaru chuckled, the first any had heard out of him since they'd left Konoha. "If she asked me to fix it, I would try."

Sakura sniffed derisively. "That's just being stubborn."

It was Naruto's turn to laugh. "Shikamaru doesn't have pride."

He thought about this for a moment. _Don't I? _He examined himself and realized that he still hadn't developed any. The most difficult thing he'd ever had to do was walk into Chouji's hospital room after the Oto invasion and he almost hadn't done it.

Some choices were outwardly impressive but those had always been the easiest. Sure he'd faced Orochimaru alone but his only other option had been Anko's death. He'd survived the snake sanin's imprisonment genjutsu but really…the alternative was his own death, that wasn't being brave that was just survival and some of the things he'd done in the confines of his own mind still made him sick to think about. He tried to think of a single hard choice he'd made with decisiveness that he could be proud of and came up short.

"Why don't you talk to her then?" Sakura asked, looking at him skeptically.

"I want to."

Naruto threw up his hands. "I don't get it."

Shikamaru spoke to the sky as he explained. "She was an Anbu, try to find one of those when they don't want to be found. Even if I could…it would be selfish. I want to fix the problem but she's taking time to figure something out. It would be just me trying to fulfill my own desires to rush her and I'm ok with waiting for her to figure it out. Good or bad."

"Sounds silly." Naruto said, crossing his arms, disappointed that he hadn't embarrassed the Nara.

Shikamaru shook his head. "Well, seeing as you're both single and always have been, I'll keep my own council on relationships."

Kakashi giggled again though no one was sure if it was at Shikamaru's dig on his team or the book he was reading.

* * *

They slept that night, taking turns at the watch though one of the things he'd learned from killing helpless people was that watches were fallible. He lay and dozed but never quite slept, cocooned in a veil of shadow.

* * *

Sakura followed Kakashi, trusting his experienced to pick up things that she couldn't in her current state. She was still thinking about what Shikamaru had said. Like everything else in her life she approached the problem with persistence, continually teasing it in her mind, hoping that it would yield a positive result.

Nothing that he'd said made her feel any differently about Sasuke. She wondered if that made her a bad person? She knew about his clan's sordid past. She couldn't separate the boy from the man though. It was hard for her to not empathize with a boy who's own brother had orphaned them and decimated their entire clan.

What had it been like for him to grow up with that hanging over him? She didn't know all the details of how he'd found out about the massacre but she didn't need to. Her mind went instantly to the worst case scenario where he had come upon his parents himself. No one to comfort him, just two mangled bodies that used to love him.

So yes, perhaps he was warped for it. That just made her want to help him all the more though. She was nothing if not a dedicated healer.

Except she had a duty to the village and that duty was not the rehabilitation of her team-mate and long time crush. Her duty, when the decision was made, would be to stop him and if there was anything she could claim to know about Sasuke, it was that simply trying to stop him would result in bloodshed, very likely hers and Naruto's.

They had to bring him back to Konoha of his own free will. He would answer for whatever crimes he had committed. The problem was, timing. They had to reach him before he was declared a missing nin.

She didn't believe half the stories she'd heard about Shikamaru over the last year but while he was still lazy, she could also see something in his eyes that the rest of their class didn't have. It was the same thing that she could see in Kakashi's when he wasn't masking his real self with a goofy act.

He was a true ninja, everything they'd been taught to be and what Naruto was trying to re-write with his nindo. As soon as the Hokage let him off the chain, either he or Sasuke was going to die.

She made up her mind to talk to Naruto about it when they had a chance and were alone.

* * *

Naruto grimaced as they ran lightly over the changing landscape. They had passed out of fire country and were now making their way over the rocky crags of wind country, coming ever closer to Suna.

He knew what it meant to have your own demons. He and Sasuke weren't so different from each other. Both had been forced to endure things that they probably shouldn't have had to. The difference was, maybe, that while he had no one to blame, as they were all dead, Sasuke still did.

What if he met the man that had sealed the fox in him? Would he want revenge? _I'd definitely pop him one in the mouth. _

Then again, sealing the Nine-tails within him was under the best intentions. Itachi couldn't claim the same benevolent motivations.

He'd always wanted to be the best, still did if push came to shove and it seemed that Sasuke wanted to be the best too…except he pushed people away. What was the point of having power if you had no one close to you to protect with it?

Sasuke lived to kill his brother. _What will happen if he actually does it?_

So many of the sides that he'd seen of Sasuke had pointed in different directions. He tried not to care about other people, using them as tools for his larger goal of retribution but then he threw himself in front of Naruto when he thought Haku was going to kill him. He had thought that he was saving Naruto at the cost of his own life.

That didn't sound like a hardened criminal to him.

_It's like there's something decent inside him, trying to get out. _

From what Shikamaru had told them, the good was starting to lose the battle with the darker part of Sasuke and who knows what that filthy Orochimaru had stuffed his head full of.

His scowl deepened as they continued on. There were no answers in the confines of his own head, only more questions.

* * *

They came upon a Suna patrol just before midday and were immediately escorted to the village. Upon hearing that Sakura was Tsunade's apprentice they all but sprinted the last few kilometers to the hospital where they came upon a very pale and ashen Kankuro.

While Sakura and Shikamaru had seen the sand-nin just recently, it was the first time Naruto had seen him in over a year. Shikamaru stayed out of the way as Sakura performed her various medical jutsu, trying to figure out the source of the poison.

They waited together for the first hour but seeing that the examination and treatment could last well into the night he exited the building with Kakashi. The Copycat admonished Naruto to stay with Sakura and help her as much as he could but he needn't have, Naruto wasn't leaving Kankuro's side regardless.

As they exited the building Kakashi turned to him. "What do you think?"

Shikamaru didn't answer for a moment then looked up at the dusty sky. "Too early to know much. Kidnapping a Kage is a fairly high-profile crime, even one that's not well liked."

"It's wasn't risking a war, they're probably just trying to figure out who to blame so they can invade. Suna isn't know for being very humanitarian at war. Scorched earth and terror tactics are commonplace." He started walking and Kakashi joined him.

He continued on as they made their way towards the battlefield where Kankuro had fought. "So, effort vs. effect being what it is: What could they hope to gain by taking the Kage alive? Ransom is out of the question, Suna has the same policies as Konoha regarding terrorist actions. There was no consequent invasion after he was subdued. It doesn't make sense."

Something was nagging at him though, something about Naruto. He allowed his mind to wander, hoping it would come to him. They reached the area without any revelation on his part. He watched as Kakashi circled the area, careful not to actual enter the battle zone. He watched the elder Jonin scan the entire area with his Sharingan.

"Anything?" He asked, sounding more bored than he felt. He hated not having more information.

Kakashi shrugged. "One of them walks like a crab and weighs over two hundred kilograms."

Shikamaru whistled. "That's…large."

Kakashi ignored this, "They're also wearing…maybe robes, the same material. Full length and probably uniforms." He pointed at a few wispy marks in the sand.

_Why can't I stop thinking about Naruto?_

"They're on foot at the moment but from what the report says, that likely will not last long."

Shikamaru scratched at the scruff on his face and frowned. "I'm missing something." He pulled a few scrolls from his chest pockets and lay them out neatly in the sand in front of him. He kneeled down and began summoning the various equipment they held. When Kakashi noticed the Anbu uniform he piped up.

"What's the plan?"

"You're the senior here." Shikamaru looked over his shoulder at Kakashi with a glare.

Kakashi grinned at him, scratching the back of his head. "Just curious what you're going to do."

"I'm going to try to follow them. I wish we had more of an idea about the second nin's abilities but the bomb maker…I think I know him."

Kakashi stared into the distance for a moment. "That proctor from the last chunin exam. He was declared a missing nin not long after."

Shikamaru nodded. "The Hokage gave me a second set of orders in addition to freeing the Kazekage."

"I thought as much."

They both knew what his orders were in a situation such as this. "Gaara takes top priority but if I can't recover him alone I'll be after the two nin."

He thought about it for a moment and decided it was worth sounding like an idiot to warn the Copycat. "There's…something about Naruto that's bugging me in this mission."

Kakashi went very still and stared at him, his normally cheery exterior evaporating.

"If you know something, it may help me." He finished summoning and donned his anbu uniform, sealing his other clothing in the same scrolls and storing them again. He debated cutting his ponytail again but as no one was there to admonish him for it he ignored that particular rule.

Kakashi spoke carefully. "It's Akatsuki, they're after jinchuriki for some reason. Gaara is the host for the one tail Shukaku."

"The Hokage sent Naruto on a mission against people that are after him as well?" Shikamaru groaned and rubbed his temples. He finally realized what had been bothering him. Itachi and the shark freak had been after Naruto that day, in those same full length robes.

It tied the motive together too. They didn't care about a war because they were already wanted dead. They didn't need to ransom Gaara as they didn't care about money. _That's just great._

"I didn't put it together until just now, I'm sure the Hokage wouldn't have allowed him to participate if we had known earlier."

"We should send him back." He said, pulling the facemask down.

"You really don't know Naruto that well then, we'd have a fight on our hands. Gaara is his friend and friends come before orders and _way _before his personal safety."

He glared at the trail in front of him, the marks had been deeper when they'd arrived but the constant wind was blowing the sand away. "Don't suppose I could borrow your tracker? The one you used when you had to find Sasuke during the chunin exam?"

"Pakun?" Kakashi asked, his eyebrow raising. "You should get your own tracker." He muttered but summoned the dog regardless.

"They weren't hiding their tracks, you'll be able to find them fine, I don't have a Sharingan." Shikamaru said, looking at the diminutive form in front of him. The dog didn't seem like a very good asset but Kakashi swore by him.

"Alright, Pakun. We're looking for a Kazekage named Gaara and the two of the three nin that fought in this area."

"Ok." The pug sniffed a few times and gestured with a paw down the fading path the missing nin had made. "I have them."

Shikamaru turned to Kakashi. "Follow when you can."

Kakashi nodded, "As soon as we learn about the second nin we'll be right behind you. Don't do anything stupid, Hyakki."

_Given my track record I can't promise that with any degree of certainty._

Then they were off, Shikamaru trailing closely behind Pakun.

* * *

"You know that all three of the Shinobi I'm tracking smell much stronger than you." Pakun said, looking sideways at Shikamaru.

Shikamaru turned to the dog. "I had a shower. They were just in two different battles."

"Not pungent. They smell like the could use you for kunai practice."

He ignored the dog and continued on but the pug was not to be brushed off.

"Far more powerful, in fact."

He sighed, "Do you think Kakashi smells more powerful than they do?"

"Now that you mention it, no."

Somewhat vindicated Shikamaru winced as Pakun spoke again. "But he's more experienced than you."

"Duly noted. Are we getting closer?"

Pakun pushed onward. "We were but they took to the air not long ago, the little one created some sort of flyer."

He cursed under his breath. "Can you still track them?"

Pakun only stared at him flatly in response for a moment and kept on running.

They flitted along in silence, the desert eventually giving away to a forest. "You signed a toad contract, they have some passable trackers, why was I brought for this?"

Shikamaru muttered into the wind, barely audible.

"Come again?"

"I think I upset them."

Pakun sniffed. "Very proud, the frogs are. What did you do?"

"I inadvertently summoned the Kusanagi. I didn't know it counted as a snake summon. I tried summoning a few frogs during Anbu training but the ones that did show up…made it clear that I was on very strict probation."

Pakun looked him over. "That's not the Kusanagi."

"I broke it to save a friend."

Pakun looked at him, startled. The silence stretched on until Shikamaru stared back at him. "What?" He asked, growing perturbed at the infuriating dog.

"Maybe you have a chance after all." The dog turned back to the trail. "But probably not."

"Wow, thanks." He rolled his eyes.

* * *

They spent the rest of the day and half of the next trying to run down the kidnappers. His legs were aching and his uniform had sweat stains all over it by the time Pakun stopped them both. "They're not far ahead now."

He leaned on his knees and tried to catch his breath. He'd already popped two soldier pills, too many more and it was going to start being more of a liability than a benefit. The body needed sleep, more importantly the mind did as well and what was his greatest asset was now not as sharp as it could be.

He ignored the observation and took another pill, dry swallowing and trying to relax his twitching muscles. New strength flowed back into his limbs but he made himself wait a full five minutes before he moved again. "Anything else you can tell me?"

"I'm almost out of time, but they're in a cave."

Shikamaru allowed himself a small smile though it was lost on the dog as he still wore his anbu mask. "Thanks Pakun. Let Kakashi know where we are."

The dog, still not even panting looked at him intently for a moment. "There's a…wrongness in the air around the cave. If the Kazekage is to be saved, time is important."

He nodded and didn't watch as the dog vanished. He was trotting in the general direction that Pakun had indicated. He came upon a small river that had cut a jagged fissure in the earth. One of the rock faces had been marked in several spots, as though it was an entrance of some sort. As he approached it he was watchful for traps but finding none he made it to the closed entrance easily enough.

He lamented the noonday sun above him and debated waiting the two hours it would take for the sun to disappear over the cliff face but thought better of it. It would be dark inside the cavern and Pakun had yet to be wrong so far. Time was ticking away for the Kazekage.

He formed a shadow and began searching for even the tiniest gap in the entrance to squeeze through. It wasn't as chakra consuming as he'd feared. He'd been training so long now that his reserves had grown enough to ignore this particular drain but every moment that he searched he knew he was growing weaker even as the Kazekage was likely dying.

After fifteen minutes of searching with an impossibly thin tentacle he finally found a series of connecting gaps that he could use. The rock face was almost eight feet thick at it's thinnest point and he knew that once on the other side, he was very likely on his own. He would also have keep up that particular Kagemane in order to secure his escape, he doubted the enemy would wait around for him to search for the gap again.

He hoped that Gaara was close to the door.

He folded himself in a pocket of shadow and slipped through the gap.

* * *

If he had been expecting something it hadn't been the sight that greeted him on the other side of the door. The strangeness of it halted him for a moment. In the middle of the room was a large, wooden statue, from it a purple cloud bubbled.

As he watched it he amended his observation. The cloud was coming from Gaara, the statue was receiving it. _Some sort of draining jutsu? Trying to drag the demon out of him. _

He considered this for a moment. _Would it be so bad if they took it? _He looked at Gaara's ashen face and realized the procedure would likely kill the Kazekage.

His thoughts were interrupted as he heard someone speak. He crept through the thin hallway of stone until he realized that he was not alone in the room. Arranged in a circle were the members of what he assumed was Akatsuki. For some reason they all looked…thin though. Translucent for some reason. All those except the two he had been tracking. The crab and the chunin proctor. They seemed as solid as he.

_Communication jutsu?_

"Of course I see him, Hidan." This from an eerily familiar voice. "We're already on our way." He looked and realized it was the mist village missing nin that they'd encountered while recovering Tsunade.

"Did he bring others, Tobi?" An unknown person said, his eyes had several rings at the pupils. He tried to memorize everything about what he could actually see of the ninja present.

His cover was blown anyway, he stepped out of the shadows and walked casually towards Gaara. "Hey." He said, waving slightly at the assembled members. His heart was thudding in his chest like a rabbit being chased by a fox.

The crab was following all his movements with a hawks eye but the rest seemed to be ignoring him. Deidara barked something and then pointed at Shikamaru. "Hey, that's the guy that killed Orochimaru."

He sighed. "That wasn't me." He said, annoyed despite the danger he was in.

"Bullshit, I heard it from like a dozen sources." Deidara said, sniffing and turning his nose up. "There's no reason to be modest. Did you find his ring?"

"Whatever." He gestured towards Gaara. "So, you guys know this is pretty serious right?" His brain hummed as he tried to consider all the possibilities of a fight. He quickly gave up on trying to think of a good battle plan. From what Kisame had said, he and his partner, likely still Itachi were on their way which meant they were at least moderately close. He had his doubts against just Deidara let alone three other S-class missing nin.

"Oh, that." Deidara said, looking at the prone Kazekage. "He's not feeling a thing."

The crab turned to Deidara. "You talk too much."

The one in a swirled mask piped up cheerfully. "He's alone!"

Crab lurched forward, his cloak flying back to reveal a scorpion-like tail that stabbed towards Shikamaru in a blur.

He shadow stepped behind the beast and grabbed Gaara's wrist. He was still in motion when he realized that the Kage wasn't moving. Even his arm weighed a lot. _Bastard must be made of stone. _He let go before he upended himself but could feel his shoulder already starting to throb.

_That complicates things. _

"Hey, get away from him, asshole!" Deidara, who he now realized, was less an arm was pointing at him with the last one in his possession.

He palmed a soldier pill and stuffed it into Gaara's mouth, hoping that he could avoid the duo long enough for it to take effect on the still unconscious Kage. He then looked up at the statue.

_Couldn't hurt. _

He grabbed a scroll from his hip and was forced to shadow step again, though this time he wasn't so lucky in his landing. Deidara threw a handful of small white balls all over the room and activated the one closest to him with his chakra. It was a relatively small explosion but it knocked him head over heels into one of the rock walls. He thickened the shadows that were protecting him but the impact was still jarring.

He bit his thumb and drew a bright red slash across the open scroll. There were a dozen pops as kunai sprang into being, exploding tags already sizzling on their rings.

His hands blurred and a dozen tentacles of shadow jumped from the ground at his feet and grasped the kunai, flipping them towards the statue with varying degrees of success.

The gathering of Akatsuki members winked out and there was a hollow thud followed by an intense shrieking that he hoped to never hear again in his life.

"I AM FREE!" It roared, followed by maniacle laughter so high in pitch that it set his teeth on edge.

He turned and saw just before the smoke engulfed him, Gaara standing up, though his upper body was limp and his eyes were still closed. The sand from his gourd was doubling and tripling at his feet, coalescing into nothing so much as a blob and then it was cut off from his vision.

_Shit. _

* * *

_Enjoy._

Dave_  
_


	17. Chapter 17: Cold, Hard Cash

Chapter 17: Cold, Hard Cash

Shikamaru ran. A tailed beast was not something he wanted to witness first hand and he doubted that he could help Gaara any more than the Kazekage could help himself at this point. He used the cover of the dust and smoke to slip away from the attacking Akatsuki members and rampaging demon.

He heard a few cursed shouts between bouts of hellish laughter but for the most part the cave was filled with the demon's cries.

"LETS FIND OUT HAPPENS WHEN I SUCK OUT _YOUR _GUTS BIT BY BIT!"

He hoped that soldier pill was working magic within the Kage but he needed to find an escape route and fast.

He found a dark corner and threw up a shadow cloak over him, hoping the others were too busy to notice. He began searching through cracks and crevices for any gaps that he could exploit. He found a few but as the demon raged inside the confines of the cavern the rocks rumbled and reseating in different positions. It was only a matter of time before Shukaku brought the entire cavern down on them and while he doubted the raccoon would care about a few falling rocks, he would not fair so well.

Then he felt something grip his ankle. He'd felt it once before, on the streets of Konoha and while that had been a gradual sinking feeling, as soon as the sand touched him this time it leapt up to his shoulders, gripping him tightly.

There were several explosions, the last one making his ears ring as they grew in intensity but he was only a hapless viewer as he was lifted off his feet and dragged through the gloom to where he assumed the raccoon waited to eat him.

He said a quick prayer and closed his eyes.

* * *

"Do it, Sakura!" Kakashi yelled, just as the roof of the cave was blown outward.

The kunoichi clasped her hands together and brought them around in a hammer blow. As it struck the entrance to the Akatsuki lair Naruto was knocked off his feet by the bucking earth and even Kakashi was forced to glue his feet to the ground with chakra.

The cave entrance splintered but held. She brought her fists around again with a piercing 'Kya!' and the stone blew inward as if a giant had kicked it.

* * *

Shikamaru coughed in the dust and tried to blink away the haze. The entire cavern was reverberating with Shukaku's shrieks and flailing arms.

As the dust parted he found himself face to face with Gaara. A very calm looking Gaara. "I couldn't be sure it was an ally." He said, not raising his voice. The sand slipped away from him and slid back to Gaara's feet. "You are here to assist." He said, not phrasing it as a question.

"Ah…sure, you feeling alright?" Shikamaru asked. The Kazekage stood in the same pose that Shikamaru had always seen him in, arms crossed and unmarked by the pandemonium around him.

Gaara stared at him for a moment, his eyes unreadable. "I am…angry. I think I will have to take a personal interest in this group. Be that as it may, Shukaku is partially free of my seal and I must deal with him first. Your efforts will be directed at hindering any shinobi that interfere, stay close and I can protect you to a certain extent. Do not engage unless engaged."

Shikamaru nodded, glad for once that his mask was still on. Gaara's siblings hadn't seemed to hold a grudge but the eerie Gaara always seemed to unnerve him with his deadpan voice and blank eyes and he was grateful that the Kazekage couldn't identify him as the same ninja who had run from him in the dark so long ago.

The sand under their feet began lifting them. It took him a moment to regain his balance and he realized that no matter how much chakra he put into trying to fasten himself to the sand's surface, it wouldn't stick. He spread his stance instead and tried to look everywhere at once. They turned slowly until Gaara faced Shukakau. The demon, now barely visible through the haze was still growing in size. It was then that Shikamaru noticed that the sand that Gaara was using and the mass that made up Shukaku were connected but still separate.

He started to lean back as they moved closer and closer to the screaming beast. It was laughing now and he heard a wild scream of intense pain coming from something it had caught.

"YES, IT'S UNPLEASANT!" Then that chilling scream-laughter.

As they exited the dust Shukaku caught sight of them.

"JAILOR THING, I'LL RIP YOUR FLESHY HEAD OFF!" It screamed pointing at Gaara with a half-formed hand.

If Gaara was impressed he didn't show it. "Not without killing half your power." Shukaku's fist, now fully formed, came around poised to strike. "Submit, Shukaku." He said, still not raising his voice.

The raccoon demon laughed, shaking the cavern. The hand shot up and blew the top off of the cave, raining boulders the size of houses down on them. Gaara didn't move but sand, dense and implacable swatted the boulders aside or split them, protecting the two shinobi. "Never again! Twisting in that rotting flesh prison for years, trying to keep you alive when I wanted nothing more than to kill you myself. NEVER!" It screamed the last and began climbing out of the hole it had created.

"You _will _submit and accept your imprisonment." Gaara said as the thudding crunch died down. The sand lifted them with the demon, still attached to it's body. They spun around it until they were in front of of it again.

Shukaku leaned in towards them and Shikamaru realized that one of the raccoon's eyes was taller than he stood. He cringed under the remorseless gaze of the tailed demon as a mountain of killing intent froze him in his tracks.

He'd never felt anything like it. It was like watching the demon kill all it's victims in one terrifying moment except they all screamed with his voice and they all had his face. He forgot about Gaara's order completely and simply stared back, too dumbfounded and terrified to think. His legs gave out and he fell to his knees in the sand, shivering.

A paw came around and the sand parted to display a pulpy mass of bone and red sand that was only identifiable as Deidara because of the blond patches of hair. "Or what, fleshling?" It asked, it's voice a deadly whisper now.

Gaara stared, unafraid into the demon's eye even as Shikamaru tried to pull himself together. "You know me, Shukaku. I will not ask again."

"Better a half-life than the prison!" It's fist came up and then crashed down on them. Gaara ignored the strike, his own sand forming over their heads and splitting the blow around them.

Shikamaru smelled the burning sand and looked up, finally starting to cast off the terror. The sand of Gaara's shell was glowing brightly from the friction.

"I'm not sure you will be able to help." Gaara said, not looking at him.

He pushed himself up with a hand, shame overcoming the fear. "I'm fine!" He said hoarsely.

"That's not what I meant."

"How do you recapture a demon?"

Gaara actually looked at him this time and he felt the echo of Shukaku's own stare in it. "I'm going to make prison seem a reprieve." He gestured towards the hole in the ground they had come from. "Your companions have arrived. Rejoin them and stay clear. I will not have the ability to protect anyone."

He seemed about to say more but they both felt a surge of chakra and turned sharply towards the hole. In the darkness they could just barely see a red form, two tails swishing back and forth menacingly.

* * *

Kakashi nodded to Shikamaru as the Nara fell to the ground next to him. They both began backing away from the ensuing battle as Naruto and Gaara battled the raccoon. They worked in tandem, Gaara shielding Naruto from any heavy blows and even swinging him around once to throw at the floundering raccoon.

Twice he and Kakashi were forced to flit away as the battle raged in front of them. The first when Shukaku was knocked over by a hammer of sand by Gaara and the second when Naruto was thrown off the creature's back, slamming into the ground and tearing a jagged gap in the forest floor two meters deep.

* * *

Sakura gripped a chain as thick as her waist in her hands. _This'll do. _She thought, hearing the battle raging outside the cave.

* * *

Shikamaru blinked as Sakura appeared from the lip of the cave, a chain as long as Shukaku was tall in her hands attached to a broken chunk of granite the size of the Nara gathering hall. She was spinning it as though it were a rope with a fishing weight on the other end.

_Sweet Kami, get me out of this alive._

She released the chain, letting it slip through her hands and it shot out, looping around the demon's neck. She yanked on her end and the granite boulder swung sharply towards her, landing just behind her and she took up the other side.

He saw her feet begin to slip as the one-tail figured out what was happening.

He bolted towards her, his hands making the seals. As he fell to the ground next to her he shot his shadow into the earth and spread it out as far as he could. The tentacles came back out of the ground and wrapped around her legs and shoulders.

She didn't acknowledge him but instead growled something and heaved on the chains, dragging the demon to the ground. Even concentrating as he was with a dozen tentacles anchoring to the earth she snapped half of them as she heaved the best backwards. As it fell, flattening a patch of forest that could have been measured in city blocks, she shouted to the duo fighting the demon. "Now!"_  
_

Gaara's sand flung Naruto into the sky until he was just a red blotch in a sea of blue. A ball of black chakra formed in one of his hands and began growing. It was difficult to judge the size of it until he could make out Naruto in detail again. As he fell he figured the ball was roughly the size of Shukaku's chest by the time it stopped growing. As he neared the ground they all felt a thrumming in the air, as if a giant beetle was beating it's wings under their feet.

The chain slipped for a moment in Sakura's hands as the demon bucked against it. She roared out something and he saw her hands glowing blue as she tried to grip the chain with chakra as well, finally grabbing hold of it again. "Shika...maru." She groaned, her eyes half closed. "The chain..." She stamped her feet a few times, digging herself into the earth.

His eyes followed the chain and saw, halfway up it's length, one of the links beginning to open. "I can't stretch it that far. I have to let go of you." He said, turning back to her. She nodded and he released the Kagemane, she groaned and her feet were dragged along the earth for about a meter before she hit a rock and stopped. He leapt onto the chain and began running along it his hands forming the seals again. He stood with his feet on either side of the bending link and poured as much chakra as he could, creating rope after rope of shadow and attaching them to either side of the chain. It wasn't until he'd created almost two dozen of the thickest shadow's he'd ever created that the link stopped bending.

He longed to look up at Naruto's progress but his entire being was focused on maintaining the single link's integrity.

* * *

Kakashi, still fresh had created as many shadow clones as he safely could and they were now all attached like a chain to Sakura, each hold the waist of the one in front of it. He made a few symbols and slammed his palm into the ground. "Earth Release! Hidden mole!" He yelled and watched his clones sink into the earth up to their thighs. He dared not to it to Sakura for a moment. She was muttering something that he couldn't make out and seemed on the verge of collapse.

He chanced a glance at the sky and as he did the entire chain went slack and Sakura, who'd been pulling on it with all her considerable strength, fell backwards dispersing the clone holding onto her. The chain fell through Shukaku as he began to disolve, the rope of sand connecting it and Gaara growing thicker as it tried to flee back into it's prison.

Naruto was an inevitable force of nature now though and couldn't be stopped any more than someone could stop an avalanche. He crashed into what was left of Shukaku, sending a shockwave out that flattened trees in front of it, throwing both Kakashi and Shikamaru tumbling away into the trees.

* * *

Gaara stared at what was left of his tormentor. It had crafted a small face in front of him, all that it could manage with the chakra that he hadn't absorbed already.

"You never give me blood anymore!" It whined, pulling back and actually appeared to pout.

Gaara said nothing, only stared at the beast. "We were taken against our will, do you think there will not be consequences for those involved?"

The demon seemed to think on this for a moment, still dissipating. "You wont be killing them…it'll be those others."

Gaara didn't argue. "Together we will perform all the executions."

"Plenty of bone mashing!" It squealed.

"Did you kill the other as well?" Gaara asked, still staring at it.

Shukaku was almost done sliding back into the gourd. "The other that took us? He had no blood, I went for the juicy one." It was only minutes before the raccoon was unrecognizable and the gourd was fully formed again on Gaara's back.

"Just as well." Gaara said to himself.

* * *

Kakashi watched as Sakura examined Gaara unsuccessfully.

"Can't you just…"

"No." He replied flatly.

Sakura sighed, "Kazekage-sama, I can't examine you with the sand armor in place."

"Let up, Sakura he looks fine!" Naruto said, grinning at the Kage. "Big Kazekage got himself kidnapped though, not too seemly." Sakura looked quite a bit worse for wear but had only blacked out for a moment after her ordeal. She turned and inspected Kakashi next. He was suffering from dangerously low chakra but professed that he would be fine in a few days.

Gaara actually smiled at the genin before speaking. "They're tailoring their attacks to match the jinchuuriki they're after. They picked someone that could nullify my defenses and use them against me. It was a well thought out attack."

She made her way to Shikamaru who was reclining against a log. He had a few scrapes and bruises that she declared too minor to waste chakra on healing and gave him a small jar of cream.

Kakashi spoke quietly. "Not a single citizen was harmed after the initial attack though, Kazekage. Quite impressive given you were fighting an explosive specialist."

Gaara fixed the jonin with an even gaze before turning back to Naruto. "My siblings are alright then? I feared they would…come to harm."

Sakura broached that one. "Kankuro did follow you and fought the other Akatsuki member. He was poisoned but…" Gaara turned towards her sharply. "But…" she continued flinching as his gaze fell on her. "I was able to create an antidote and purge his system of the poison. Your jonin commander said that Temari was still on an envoy to the Earth Daimyo but was on her way back when we left to follow Shikamaru."

Shikamaru sighed and raised his mask up, revealing his face. _Not much frigging point of keeping it hidden now. _

"The shadow user." Gaara said blandly, looking at him.

Shikamaru turned to Kakashi. "All good then? I'll be heading out for the next part of this mission."

"No you wont." Another voice broke the silence and they all turned to see Jiraiya walking into the clearing carrying two bodies.

"Ero-sennin!" Naruto cried, waving happily. "It's been a long time, pervert!"

Jiraiya grumbled something but even he could muster a smile for the excited Naruto. Shikamaru found himself envious of the genin.

Jiraiya dropped the two bodies at Kakashi's feet but as Shikamaru looked at them he realized they were no one he'd recognize even from the s-class missing roster. Further, they were dressed as farmers and showed all the telltale signs of a life of labor, dirty hands, sun burnt necks.

"These two were under some kind of…control jutsu. It allowed Itachi and Kisami to send a portion of themselves into their bodies and control them in combat. I guess they were coming to help the other two."

"My orders come from the Hokage, Jiraiya." Shikamaru said, annoyed that he was actually having to argue with someone to do _more _work.

"New orders. When Kakashi sent the report back that it was Akatsuki I came myself." He tossed a scroll to Shikamaru.

The scroll hit him in the chest and fell to the ground and he sighed, bending over to pick it up. It was unmarked and unopened. He broke the seal and confirmed what Jiraiya said was true.

_Hyakki, _

_Escort the Kazekage back to Suna, you are to not engage any Akatsuki _

_members if at all possible. Return as a jonin with team seven._

_By my hand, _

_Tsunade_

"What orders? And why are you dressed like an Anbu?" Naruto said, pointing at Shikamaru accusingly.

Sakura sighed in exasperation. "He _is _an Anbu, Naruto!"

Kakashi turned to them both and silenced Naruto with a wave of his hand. He took his two students aside and spoke to them in hushed tones for a moment.

Shikamaru took the chance to change back into his jonin attire. He knew that Sakura was studying to be a medical expert as well and was second only to Tsunade but the way she blushed when she saw him naked and pulling on his clothes said otherwise.

Naruto hadn't noticed, he was still looking at Kakashi ardently and nodding his head to whatever the jonin was saying.

Thus changed he turned to Gaara. "We should get moving."

"I agree." He said simply and began walking without waiting for the others.

Jiraiya grumbled something and pointed to the two bodies. "I need help with these, Tsunade's going to want to study them."

"I'd rather not…encourage Shukaku any more today." Gaara said without turning back.

Jiraiya looked at Shikamaru who only shook his head. "Don't ask."

The thankless task of carrying the bodies was left to their medical expert who placed a stasis jutsu on the unfortunate duo and slung them over her shoulder like they were made of down pillows.

Kakashi summoned one of his dogs and it disappeared in a puff of smoke after a moment. "Just letting everyone know we've recovered the Kazekage."

Naruto walked next to Gaara and while Shikamaru had never seen Gaara show emotion to anyone else, the blond genin had little trouble eliciting the occasional smile from him and even once a laugh that brought all their attention to bear.

They stopped for the evening on the outskirts of the wind country. "They will meet me here." Gaara said, without explanation.

A small fire was made but for the most part they could relax. Jiraiya was present and by Shikamaru's accounting, only Kisame and Itachi had been close to them when they'd saved Gaara.

Gaara turned to Sakura and began talking to the uncomfortable looking Kunoichi.

"Kakashi-san said that you are the one responsible for saving Kankuro, thank you." He said, and bowed to her.

She stammered something and he sat down across from her. "You are a student of the fifth Hokage?" He asked, his eyes never blinking. It was unnerving to all present except perhaps Naruto.

"Yes, Tsunade-sama has been teaching me the medical arts."

"You seem very adept." Gaara said and turned back to the fire.

Sakura blushed but didn't look away from him. "Thank you, Kazekage-sama."

"My name is Gaara. You are a friend of Naruto's, I would like very much if we would be friends as well."

Shikamaru quickly grew bored with the banter and stopped paying attention to it for a while. He did watch while Gaara tested her strength, asking her to push against a wall of sand until she could push no harder.

"I notice you favor no weapons?" He asked, still staring at her.

Sakura shook her head. "I tried a few but they shatter when I use them." She blushed slightly in embarrassment.

He nodded. "There is a metal that we produce that you may be interested in."

* * *

They were met by a retinue of jonin from sand who eyed them warily. Shikamaru couldn't really blame them. They'd lost Gaara once already, likely they were going to be on edge for a very long time. Gaara nodded to their leader.

"I am unharmed, Ato. Thanks to our allies from Konoha." He gestured to the five shinobi behind him.

The jonin bowed, very slightly to the Konoha shinobi but these were not Kage advisors and had little interest in pleasantries. These were personal guard. Ato barked a few orders and for the most part the other jonin blended into their surroundings, following them at varying distances or scouting ahead as they made their way to the gorge that marked the boundaries of Gaara's hidden village.

Kakashi spotted Temari first, she was gliding on her fan from the east but stopped an appropriate distance away from the group and walked the rest of the way. She was stopped by several of the sand jonin but quickly let through.

Gaara stared at her as he had everyone else. She trotted up to him and seemed to remember there were others present. She stopped and bowed deeply. "I am grateful you are unharmed, Kazekage-sama." She said formally.

Shikamaru noted her disheveled appearance. Her hair, normally as immaculate as his was frayed and dusty and her clothing looked windblown. Likely she'd traveled all night.

"We're among friends, Temari." Gaara said simply.

Temari grabbed him in a hug, ruffling his hair. "You're not supposed to get caught, you idiot." She said, affectionately and then let him go. He gave her a small smile and she kissed his forehead where the tattoo lay. "Let's not make a habit of this, alright?"

"Yes, sister."

"Kazekage-sama." Ato reminded him.

Gaara nodded, "We'll keep moving."

Naruto retold their part of the story, how Sakura had saved Kankuro and how Kakashi had found out it was Akatsuki embellishing only where he thought he could get away with it. Shikamaru cringed when he began pointing at Shikamaru as he finished.

"Knew I was smart not to kill you, Pineapple-head." Temari said, falling back to walk next to him.

Shikamaru chuckled, "I'm pretty happy about it too, all things considered."

Temari smiled at him, rare for the rough kunoichi and shook her head. "I wont make you tell me something you'll have to tell about a dozen times when we reach the village but I would like to hear about it once things quiet down."

"Sure, my mission was cancelled, we'll have some time before we leave Suna." He said, not noticing the sharp glance he got from Sakura.

Naruto broke up the conversation as he pointed to the approaching gorge. "It looks weird." He said, trying to shield his eyes from the sun.

Only Ato didn't try to peer closer.

It was almost two more hours before they realized what they were seeing. Thousands of villagers…_all of them probably, _he thought to himself…were kneeling, their foreheads pressed against the backs of the hands in the hot desert sun, waiting for the procession to arrive.

Of them all, Temari's reaction was the strongest. "What are they doing?" She asked, turning to Ato.

"He saved us all, Temari-san." He said, gesturing at the gorge. "They're paying their respects to our Kazekage."

Naruto sniffed, looking uncomfortable. "Seems kind of mean to make them wait out in the sun."

Ato barked a laugh. "No one made them. We only announced he was coming back."

Naruto blinked, "Wow."

* * *

As they entered the gorge they were met by Kankuro who was still in bandages but had a fresh coat of face-paint on. "Should have known you'd be ok." He said, his voice still tight. Kankuro stumbled slightly and Temari caught him, propping him up over one shoulder.

Shikamaru looked around, the people were still laying prostrate, no one made a sound. It was becoming unnerving. "Why aren't they cheering or something?" He asked, half to himself.

Surprisingly, Naruto was the one to answer with a sad smile on his face. "They're ashamed."

Shikamaru turned to him and raised an eyebrow questioningly but Naruto only shook his head and gave no further explanation.

Temari leaned in close and spoke in a whisper. "For the way they treated him, Pineapple-head. They're admitting they were wrong."

Gaara was making his way to an elderly couple. The rest of the villagers watched him from their prostrate position and the couple looked up as well. When they saw him approaching them they quickly ducked their heads back down again.

He stood in front of them for a moment and then kneeled down in the same dirt. He reached out and touched them both on the shoulder and they raised their heads tentatively.

Shikamaru didn't hear what was said but the couple sat up and then Gaara helped them to their feet. The rest of the village stood with them, staring at Gaara. He turned to the majority of them and gave a small bow.

The canyon erupted in cheers and shouting, but none louder than Naruto's.

* * *

He spent the next few hours in debriefing, being grilled by Suna's version of the anbu. He'd asked Jiraiya to come along and impart what he could about Akatsuki and the toad sage sat behind him answering a few questions but for the most part keeping to himself.

By the time he was done he had told, retold and then retold again his part in the plan. Been made to give his opinion on things he hadn't even developed an opinion on yet and generally felt like he'd been wrung out. He understood why they felt the need to get a detailed account as soon as possible, they wouldn't have access to him later but understanding didn't make it pleasant.

He exited the small compound and found Temari waiting on him, looking much more rested than she had before. She'd changed her clothes and fixed her hair. She waved at him and grinned. "Figured you'd be getting out about now, they didn't rough you up too bad did they?"

"No. Just very thorough. Most ninja get cranky when someone takes their Kage. Yours more than most, I heard what he did for the village."

Temari nodded, glancing up at the Kazekage tower for a moment before turning back to Shikamaru. "He's a handful to protect, that's for sure." She gestured at the walkway behind her. "You hungry?"

"Very, I've been living off soldier pills for a few days." He fell into step next to her and she took his arm looping it in her own.

The touch was a little too familiar for him but not unwelcome he supposed.

She led them to a small restaurant and they were seated immediately. The staff was all smiles when they saw his Leaf hitai ate. The proprieter, an older woman gestured to the menu. "Konoha eats free tonight."

They had barely sat down when a nearby patron stood from his chair and walked over to them, bowing deeply and thanking him for his efforts on the behalf of the Kazekage. He turned to Temari. "They really do love him."

Temari sniffed and glared at the next one to walk towards the table. He seemed to think better of it and made his way out of the restaurant. "Don't get me wrong, I like that they appreciate him now but it seems a little fair-weather to me." She took a sip of her water and continued. "A few days ago and they were terrified of him, now they're kissing his ass. If it sticks I'll eat my fan and I'd never say anything to Gaara about it but I'm…"

"Skeptical." He finished for her and she nodded grimly.

She shook herself out of her funk and smiled at him again, leaning forward. "Not the best topic for dinner anyway. So how'd you defeat someone that captured Gaara?" She asked, whispering conspiratorially.

Shikamaru shook his head. "I didn't. I just freed him. He and Naruto did the rest and it wasn't pretty, your brother is the single-most powerful person I've ever met." _Including Orochimaru. _

She nodded. "I agree."

They sat in silence for a moment, sipping their drinks. "How have you been?" She asked, staring at him in what he could only describe as an unnerving manner.

* * *

A few hours later he felt as though he had been interrogated twice in one day. They had left the restaurant and he'd paid her ticket to be polite, she was the sister of the Kazekage after all and they'd walked through the streets for a while, talking quietly.

It all seemed a little…odd to him though. His eyelids were growing heavy as they came to the Kazekage's tower. "This is me." She said, looking at him coyly.

She turned to face him and leaned forward. For a moment he thought she was going to kiss him but instead she whispered in his ear. "Want to come up?"

"Uh…" He said, articulately. His feet took a step back and her smile slipped for a second before coming back stronger than ever.

"There are more fun things to do than just sleep."

He smiled at her, uncomfortable with the turn the situation took. "I'm…that is I have a girlfriend, back in Konoha."

"Yeah, I know." She said, her smile fading away. "Look Shikamaru, I'm asking you up for sex."

He blinked. "I figured out that much."

"Then what's the deal? You're a guy." She had planted her hands on her hips now.

"Well…"

She ran right over him. "I did everything the book said, I touched you to make you feel used to the contact which to me sounds like I'm training a horse, not bedding a guy. I ate almost nothing so I didn't look like a pig never mind I could have eaten both our meals I'm so hungry. I let you pay so you'd feel all masculine…"

She was advancing on him now and he was actively backing away. "I walked on your left in deference, batted my damn eyes, put on makeup…which don't get me started on that crap, getting mascara in your eye is worse than a pepper bomb…I wore cinnamon perfume to remind you of intercourse. I even giggled. Do I look like a friggin' giggler?" She asked staring at him archly.

His back hit a wall and he jumped slightly. "Well…not now."

"You're damn right."

"Was this a mission or something?" He asked, looking around.

"No…" She said looking at him in confusion. "I would have rated it a B-class but I've never failed one of those. I guess you'd be a low S, high A." Her eyes went distant as she tried to figure out his classification but gave up after a moment, shaking her head.

"When all else fails I'm supposed to show you some skin but I'll be damned if I'm flashing my breasts out on an open street. I had planned on you accepting the invitation and doing that bit in private."

Shikamaru's mouth worked but no sound came out. _Why are all the women in my life just like my mother?_

"Oh!" She said, remembering something. She looked around quickly. She handed him her fan which, as it put a solid object between them, he was grateful for. Until he saw the reason for it. She reached under her skirt and then stepped out of something in the dark street. She wadded up the small bundle and placed it under his flak vest.

"Those are my panties. You don't have pockets so that will have to do." She said in a voice that could have been reporting on a recent mission.

"Lets get off the street." He said, handing her back her fan and trying to ignore the lump of cloth between his flak vest and his mesh shirt.

* * *

"So you love her or something?" Temari asked looking confused, still not understanding the connection between what she was proposing and what he was saying.

"It's complicated. Anyways…I _think _she'd be upset if I took you up on your…" He said, looking for the right word. She arched an eyebrow at him. "…tempting offer." The eyebrow fell and he felt as though he'd evaded a drubbing.

"So let me get this straight. We're not going to have sex because you're being faithful to a woman you're not sure you love, who may or may not be your girlfriend because she may or may not care if you bed other people?"

He blinked in relief and nodded. "Exactly."

She shook her head as though he was the crazy one. "If you say so, Shikamaru." She said, sounding defeated.

He stood but she glared at him. "Not yet. I have questions."

Now that the initial shock of her behavior was wearing off he was exhausted but he dutifully sat back down. He had been worried about hurting her feelings but wondered if it was actually possible.

"What are some things I can improve for next time?" She said, staring at him intently.

After another half an hour of what he could only describe as a date debrief he stood and headed for the door with her approval.

When he moved he felt the panties again and turned. "Er…"

"Keep them, I don't want them back now that they're all sweaty and I wore two pairs anyways. I wasn't about to go free-assing it down the street." She grinned at him and he made a hasty retreat.

* * *

He met the others at the gate in the morning. For a change he was the first one to arrive. As the others joined him he began to pace. It was time to be gone from this bizarre village. Gaara had turned out, as well his siblings to bid the Konoha envoy a safe trip.

He made his rounds, dreading the eventual goodbye he would have to give Temari. As he stopped in front of her he felt himself blushing. "Ah, it was good to see you again Temari." He said lamely, holding out his hand. She took it and shook it firmly.

When he tried to release her hand she held on and pulled him closer, whispering again in his ear. "That offer will stay open, Pineapple-head." She reached down to her waist and for a terrifying moment he thought she was going for her panties again but she only pulled out a scroll and presented it to him. He took it with a sigh of relief and placed it in a pouch on his chest.

They waved collectively and made their way out of the gates. He cringed as he heard Temari's voice over the din of foot traffic. "Unless I'm married by then!" She yelled, followed shortly by. "Or on a mission!"

He quickened his pace and Naruto looked at him questioningly. "What was that about?"

"I don't know, I think she has a neural problem. Can we please get out of here?"

* * *

Kankuro limped over to his sister. "You used the book, right?"

Temari grumbled something and kicked out the crutch he was leaning on. He fell with a yelp and she tossed the book on his chest.

"If he wasn't part of the rescue effort to get back Gaara I'd have a few choice words with him." She growled, pointing at the backs of the Konoha ninja.

"Shikamaru?" Gaara said, appearing next to them and helping Kankuro to his feet.

She shook her head and pointed at the orange book in the dirt. "That damn Jiraiya."

"Still…" Kankuro said, brushing the dust off his legs. "…there will be other opportunities to tempt him into marriage and like you said, he has no family in Konoha so it's not like he wouldn't move here with us."

Gaara stared out onto the shimmering sand flat. "He would be a powerful addition…still." He said, not looking at Temari.

"Not this again. I said it was my choice, there's worse people I could be married to and it would bring a powerful bloodline to Suna." She grinned into the west wind and then turned back to her two brothers.

"I think it's time for a diplomatic mission to Konoha."

* * *

Shikamaru stood in front of his own clan council now, a new thing for him.

_Odd, _he reflected, _that they should be as whiny as the Konoha council. _

"These are not jutsu that you can just pull from thin air, Shikamaru. Someone had to teach you and we demand that you tell us. Your father obviously…."

Shikamaru fixed the speaker, his father's first cousin, with a golden eye. "Careful." He said, in a bored tone.

"…didn't teach you these techniques and we want to know who did. As an expelled member of the Nara clan, it's a capital offense to teach you any additional jutsu or likewise for you to teach the techniques you already know."

He sighed. "What jutsu are you talking about?"

"Specifically?" Another clan member asked, a female that he was related to on his mother's side.

"Is there any other way to end this meeting?"

The woman smiled at him, unperturbed. "The Shadow armor you're using right now for starters."

He pondered this for a moment. "I can teach it to you but as for who taught it to me, it was my father."

"It didn't exist prior to his death!" From the cousin again. Shikamaru tried to remember his name but decided he didn't care, there was a reason the man had never made it past chunin in fifteen years.

"Also, I'm not going to teach it to you for nothing. As you so…eloquently pointed out. I've been expelled from the clan so you're demanding something from an active duty jonin that you've no right to demand. I want some compensation."

The man began to turn purple but the woman placed her hand on his shoulder. Of them all he recognized her as the voice of reason. "What did you have in mind, Shikamaru?" She asked, sounding intrigued.

"I will teach you how to perform the things that you're probably up in arms about. The Shadow Armor and the Endgame Technique."

She spoke again as the man opened his mouth, still fuming. "We want the Kage Sochi, Shikamaru." She said, staring at him intently.

"I wasn't finished, madam speaker." He said, meeting her gaze evenly. "In return I want access to the Kage Bunshin and full rights restored to me as a functioning member of the Nara clan as well as my family's previous share of the medicinal stock and land. I will pay you what they were sold to you for, of course, with a reasonable percentage for growth on top of it, say seven percent?" He said, looking at them questioningly.

"And the Kage Sochi?" She asked, after silencing her counterpart with a look.

Shikamaru shrugged. "When they learn the Endgame Technique I will teach the Kage Sochi. That isn't part of the deal though but dependant on your actual ability. If performed incorrectly it's quite dangerous and shouldn't be learned out of order. As part of that, I will be sole judge of when someone is ready though with predefined stipulations."

The man spoke now. Shikamaru squinted at him. _His name is Akatuo. _"What stipulations?"

Shikamaru stood and dipped his hand into his right thigh pouch pulling out a double handful of shuriken, a dozen in all.

He used the shadows of the room to cover the seals his hands made but it was just theatrics. "Endgame Technique!" He roared in what he hoped was an impressive manner and shadow tentacles erupted from the pool of shadow at his feet and caught all the shuriken in mid-flight."

"When they develop the control for the Endgame to catch all twelve, they are ready for the Kage Sochi." He said, manipulating the tentacles to deposit the shuriken back into his thigh pouch.

They were all but salivating now.

The woman conferred with the other clan members. "Ten percent on our purchase price." She said and he had to stop himself from smiling.

"I'll give you nine if you personally teach me the Kage Bunshin."

A nine percent return on a seven month investment of ownership was a ridiculous profit and they all knew it but he didn't care, he'd make it up in the quarter and it barely put a dent in the savings he'd accumulated from Asuma refusing to accept Orochimaru's contract money.

They conferred again but he already knew they would accept. This wasn't going to win him any friends but he felt it was important for him to take part in his parent's clan. At their deaths they'd held almost a controlling share of the medicinal stocks. He could maneuver that into a controlling share before he retired and live off the profits.

"Done. Let all present bear witness to the deal we've made and let none doubt it's validity." She intoned and he finally relaxed.

"Alright, as for the Shadow Armor…" He started, taking them all in with his eyes.

He was met with confused stares. "You're going to teach it right now?"

He thought about this for a moment. "You're right, I'm going to have to ask all the Chunin and below members to exit the building. The reason will become apparent shortly and should the council deem it prudent to teach non-jonin members the jutsu I'll teach them as well."

Akatuo looked ready to attack him upon hearing these words but the woman raised her hand. "Do as he says."

There were a few grumbles as the lower ranking members of the Nara clan filed out of the room. Once they were gone the jonin and elders leaned forward. "Alright, first you form a basic shadow sewing." He said, making the familiar seals necessary to create a tentacle of shadow from his own pool.

They looked at him skeptically but followed suit. "Then you anchor it but not to your ground shadow, use some other shadow on your body. I prefer to use the gap between my clothing and my skin. This helps conceal it from sight and also allows you to maintain it even in lighted conditions as that shadow never completely sees the light anyway." He continued. "For demonstration purposes I'll keep it visible though."

He anchored the shadow to the shadow between his hair and the nape of his neck and turned so all could see it. "Next, you flatten it down so it's not obtrusive or obvious." He flattened the shadow tentacle out and ran it along his arm so that it looked encased in a midnight black ink. "Remember, all this is under your clothing."

"Now, in order to make it armor you only need to harden it as you would any other shadow sewing that you want to attack with. Make the shadow dense at the point of projected impact." He pulled his tanto blade from it's sheath on his back and brought the blunt edge down on the shadow gauntlet he'd crafted on his arm. It rebounded back with a clang.

"There, you have Shadow Armor."

They shadow tentacles faded all at once and he allowed his to reform under his own clothes again.

"That's…that's just shadow sewing." One of the members said incredulously.

Shikamaru looked at him curiously. "No, that's Shadow Armor." He corrected.

"It's not even a new jutsu!" Another cried.

Shikamaru shrugged. "It's a defensive twist on an offensive technique. You didn't think of it so you assumed it must have been a new jutsu. I can't plan for your assumptions and I never said it was a new jutsu. Are you ready for the Endgame Technique?" He asked, looking annoyed with them.

Not looking entirely so eager now they gave a general grumble that they did and he continued on.

"First, you form a basic shadow sewing…"

* * *

Akatuo waited outside the clan meeting hall, pacing back and forth. The doors burst open and Shikamaru came walking out and called over his shoulder to Tinow, the head of the council. "I'll transfer the money by noon today." Then he was gone, slouching away with his hands in his pockets.

He grimaced at the back of the boy but at least they got the better of him. He really shouldn't be angry though, they'd sold him his lands back at a nine percent profit and were getting three, powerful new jutsu in return. All they had really lost was the Kage Bunshin but it was a small price to pay to give up something that most of them couldn't use safely anyway.

_Let the little idiot gloat._

He turned towards Tinow who was shaking her head at a few angry looking elders. _What's going on?_

He walked closer and overheard their argument. "…not even a new jutsu, we shouldn't be bound by the contract, he tricked us!" She had raised her palms and was trying to calm them down.

"What do you mean they weren't new jutsu?" He blurted out, shouldering his way to the front.

Tinow explained to him the Shadow Armor and Endgame technique. "Well that's just the two. It's not like his Shadow Step is just a different form of Shadow Sewing." He said eying them. No one looked at him and he bludgeoned on. "That was the only one we were really after."

Tinow looked at him, a slight smile on her face. "He threw a dozen shuriken, Akatuo. The rules of the deal stated that we had to be able to do that as well. How many shadow sewing barbs can you create at once let alone with that much fine control over them?" She barked a laugh. "Even Skikaku could only control seven and I don't think he could catch shuriken with them."

"That son of a…"

* * *

Shikamaru waved halfheartedly at Ino as he arrived at the flower shop. She dusted off her hands on her apron and waved back before ducking her head into her family shop and shouting something. There was the sound of breaking pottery and Chouji appeared next to her.

Shikamaru couldn't help but grin as his two friends bounded up to meet him. "Hey Ino, Chouji. I thought we could get some barbeque or something."

"That'd be great, Shika." Chouji said even as Ino opened her mouth.

* * *

After lunch and catching up with his friend he donned his anbu uniform and checked his box. He had no pending missions and his training was down to fencing only except Baku was out of the country at the moment.

He checked the board and saw that Baku had been given the bridge destruction assignment and he sighed.

_I never get the easy assignments. It's always '_Kill a pretty girl in her sleep, Hyakki.' _or '_Go up against a secret organization that is so powerful they can kidnap Kage's, Hyakki.'

Outwardly he sighed and locked his box again.

"Ryu for your thoughts?" Tsunade said from behind him. He turned and faced her.

"Everything is great. No impending doom, no emergencies, no one needs killing." He said, gesturing at his empty box.

"Bored, Hyakki? Because I can find something for you to do. There's always patrol duty." She said, her voice stiffening slightly.

He shook his head. "Boredom is something I've never had a problem with. Quite the opposite of late."

"So I've heard." She said grinning at him ruefully.

_She's in a good mood. _Then he thought about it for a moment. _Ah yes, Jiraiya's in town._

"We had our engineers look at the statue you destroyed in the Akatsuki base. They said something like that would take quite a bit of time and effort to construct. You may have set their plans back quite a bit." She placed an envelope into Neko's box.

He nodded at the envelopes in her hands. "Anything for me?"

She shook her head and he sighed, still feeling restless. "Why did you call me off of the other member?" He asked while she placed the various envelopes into different boxes.

"You don't send your rook after pawns that have laid a trap." She said, gesturing for him to walk with her.

He smiled at the shogi board in the common room and saw that was where Tsunade was leading him. He looked down at the three new moves that had been placed while he was gone. "…as Anko is finding out the hard way." He said and took her last rook after examining the board for a moment.

She examined the board with him as well but chose not to move anything yet. "You've been on the defensive a while now." She observed.

He nodded, "Reactionary defense is all I can muster with four to one movement." She waited until he was finished and they continued walking, heading towards the exit. "Naruto and Sakura came to see me yesterday, after your mission debrief."

He turned towards her, glad that his mask hid his features. "Oh?" He asked, forcing his voice to be neutral.

"They asked that Sasuke be placed on the roster as a missing nin. I just finished updating the bingo book." He blinked. _They actually listened to me?_

He took a moment to steady himself. "Do we have any additional information about his current whereabouts? I seem to have a plethora of free time at the moment."

"We do. Several of Orochimaru's hideouts were known to Akatsuki. It's doubtful that any of them are still inhabited but we're hoping to find clues as to his other bases in them." She stopped and turned to him.

He was looking at her empty hands. "Why wasn't this mission in my box?" He asked guardedly.

"They had a stipulation." She said carefully, fixing him with her eyes.

"What stipulation?" He asked, his eyes narrowing. He had a feeling he already knew the answer.

She went back to walking and he followed though he only stared at the side of her face now. As they reached the door she turned back to him. "They asked that anyone personally wronged by Sasuke be forbidden from pursuing him, they felt that it was a conflict of interest and that dead or alive request would be reduced to just dead if certain people were chosen to bring him in."

"That's…" He floundered for the right word.

Tsunade finished for him. "True, Hyakki. We both know why you would be going after him. We assassinate our enemies. We give our friends the benefit of the doubt until they prove beyond a reasonable suspicion that they are our enemies. As a missing nin, the stipulation only applies to Konohagakure. The rest of the villages are free to do with him as they like, send anyone they want after him and pull him apart piece by piece if they feel like it."

"That's crap, Tsunade. You know as well as I do that that bastard is an mini Orochimaru in training. You also know that Naruto and Sakura will both choke when it comes time to do what they have to do and if that Uchiha has learned anything from Orochimaru it'll cost them their heads."

Tsunade let him finish but he could see her anger growing. "I am your Hokage, Hyakki and you _will _address me appropriately or I swear you'll be sent to patrol duty on the damn Suna border." She growled at him.

He bowed, if a bit stiffly and she nodded. "Better."

"How much is the bounty on him, Hokage?" He asked tautly.

She ignored the absence of a more appropriate sama, Hokage was a start. "Two hundred thousand."

He stopped himself from scoffing. That wouldn't even get a jonin out of bed. "Make it seventy two million, I will make up the difference myself."

Her eyebrows drew down quickly. "That's almost what Orochimaru was worth!"

"If I'm not mistaken, the bingo book will have his last known ninja rank in it as well."

Tsunade clucked her tongue and crossed her arms underneath her breasts. "A _genin_, you'll have every idiot with a kitchen knife looking for him."

"I at least have the right to do with my money as I please, I hope?"

She nodded. "Yes but I think you should reconsider."

He shook his head bitterly. "Then we are in agreement about something at least, Hokage." He bowed slightly to her and turned away. He left the Anbu sanctum and heading straight for his clan compound, hoping she couldn't think of a way to wriggle around his decision.

* * *

"Don't give me that crap, you've used them, my father used them. I want to know how to contact them." He growled at Tinow.

She stared at him appraisingly for a moment. "Perform a Kagemane." She said, rubbing her earlobe.

He performed a shadow sewing and then released it just as quickly.

"Alright, follow me." She said gesturing him forward.

They walked until he realized they were actually heading outside their clan. They continued in silence, him seething. The sun was setting by the time they came to the Yamanaka clan holdings. She knocked politely on the gate though she needn't have. Through his father and Inoichi the Nara and Yamanka had formed a strong bond between the two clans allowing for mutual passage anywhere but the most restricted places.

They were admitted easily enough and he followed her to a well patrolled area at the compounds center. They stopped in front of a fortified looking bunker and she knocked on the door. A small peephole slid open and she went rigid for a moment before relaxing again.

She stood aside and directed him to stand where she had been. He stepped in front of the peephole and felt the telltale signs of a Yamanaka possession jutsu falling over him. The intruder, who he couldn't identify, sifted through a few of his memories and thus satisfied, released control.

"Keep an eye on your guest, he's angry and we don't want any trouble in here." The voice from behind the door said. After a moment the door swung outward and they walked in. There was another door that opened as well, this time inward and they were admitted to a small, dim room without ever seeing any of the people operating the doors.

_This is well planned. _He thought to himself, looking around.

In the room was a small table with a chair under it and a few pencils. She explained that he would write the contract on a piece of paper and slip it through the slot on the far end of the room. From there it was telepathically sent to the black market bounty station's and distributed to any bounty hunters that inquired.

He wrote carefully, ensuring his kanji was readable. He didn't want any mistakes. He wrote up the contract for seventy two million, explaining his physical characteristics, especially the scar he'd given him and the last known locations the Hokage had written in the bingo book.

_Decapitation and presentation of intact head required for payout._

When he finished he turned to Tinow and she continued on. "They'll give a route for the information to return to this station but in order for this station to contact you, they will need a drop-off point." She looked at the notice. "For this I would suggest you use the clan drop-off."

He wrote the various keywords she instructed on a separate piece of paper and slipped both of the pages as well as the most recent photograph he could find through the slot at the far end of the room.

"For every sent message, they charge six thousand Ryu, I'll have them charge the clan holdings for this one and you can pay it back later."

He looked at her. "Thanks. You're being awfully helpful for someone that should be a little more angry at me."

She smiled at him. "I didn't want to expel you from the clan to begin with. I still remember how much your parents have done for the Nara clan and what you did for them. Getting one over on those pompous morons was not…displeasing to watch."

* * *

His shoulders were hunched more than normal and he yawned as he inserted the key to his door. It had been a long day but for the most part he was pleased with how it had turned out.

He would have preferred to go after Sasuke himself but he doubted that the Uchiha would last long with a bounty of that size and the results were what mattered to him. As he opened the door his eyes snapped open and his ears strained. His front entryway was a mess of clothing and papers.

He pulled his sword out carefully and was glad that he had kept the shadow armor in place. He thought about signaling the Anbu on patrol but thought better of it. Hamai was eyes and ears, not fists. As he walked into his family home he trailed a slender line of shadow. It was dark enough to keep the shadow connected and if he needed to he could Shadowstep back out of the house and get some reinforcements.

As he exited the entryway, he peered around the corner off to his right that led to the sitting room and saw Anko sitting, staring directly at him with her arms crossed.

"Anko…what the hell happened?" He said, gesturing all around. The entire room was in shambles, clothes and papers were scattered everywhere. Even his dirty laundry was cast about.

She stood and fixed him with a steely gaze. "Where is it?" She said, her voice dangerous and low.

"Anko, you're not making any sense. Is something wrong?" He asked. His guard was still up but it struck him as ludicrous that someone would attack him in this manner.

She advanced on him and he halted her with a shout. "Just, stop!" He said, growing angry. "How am I supposed to know it's you?"

"How am I supposed to know it's you?" She shot back. Her eyes were red and she looked like she'd been crying.

"It's my house!" He said incredulously. "You're the one that broke in."

"Oh, so now I gotta break into my boyfriends house to see him?" She screeched at him.

He was completely at a loss as to how to reply to that statement. "Just…what's wrong?" He said, sheathing his sword.

She came at him in a blur and he had barely enough time to ready a Kagemane before he realized what she was doing.

"She said it was…." She growled, yanking open his chest pockets and pulling things out at random.

_Oh god. _

Then she hit it. "HA!" She yanked the scroll that Temari had given him out of his pocket and her underwear came with it. He'd forgotten about both of them.

He bent to try to retrieve the traitorous panties but she stopped him, holding up a shaking finger. "Oh no. Allow me." She said, her voice razor sharp.

She knelt and picked up the underwear and held them up in both hands.

"I can explain." He said, raising his palms.

Her hand shot out and grabbed the hilt of his sword. It was free of it's scabbard with a quick jerk.

"Time to go." He said, echoing his father. The blade was coming down as he formed the seals with his hands. It drew a scalding line down his shoulder just as he completed it.

"Get back here you sissy!" She roared but he was already fleeing into the night.

* * *

"Why didn't you go to the hospital?" Shizune said, dabbing at a cut on Shikamaru's forehead.

"I did, she was waiting for me there. That's how I got this." He said, pointing at his head. "That's the trouble with letting someone in your life, Shizune. They know every damn thing about you. I can't even go to Chouji's tonight, she'll be expecting that, I can't go to the Anbu headquarters because she's allowed in there too, my house is probably burning down as we speak and I'm pretty sure she has my anbu box combination."

Shizune giggled but tried to cover it up.

"Thanks for the support Shizune." He grumbled, wincing as she cleaned the cut.

"You have to admit it's pretty funny though." She said, trying to hold in the laughter.

Shikamaru examined his shoulder, he would need a few stitches but Shizune hadn't gotten to it yet. She pulled his head back towards the light with a tisk. "Stop moving."

"So what started all this anyways?"

He sighed and related the story to her, hopeful that she'd have some advice.

"Wow, you're screwed."

"You're not helping." He hissed as she pulled the thread through the cut again, cinching it closed a bit at a time.

She glared up at him. "Stop being a baby. That was just my professional opinion. Hold this." She said, pushing a finger against a small knot she'd made. He obliged and as she threaded another needle, wetting the end of the thread in a cup of sterile water he tried to readjust himself and she made the anbu hand signal for 'wait' and he stopped, sighing.

She finished threading the needle and began again where she left off. "Alright, you can move…a little."

"I'd give her a little time to cool off..." She continued. "...but you should try to remember that she's hurting just as much as you right now."

He laughed incredulously. "I didn't almost cut off her arm and I didn't bean her in the head with a rock, I seriously doubt she's feeling what I'm feeling."

Shizune poked his cut and he winced. "Stop being a guy. I mean she feels betrayed and hurt. She could have been throwing a kunai at your head too."

"You sound like my dad. 'She didn't aim for anything vital, she must still love me.'" He intoned in a deeper voice.

Shizune laughed then shook her head.

"She hasn't talked to me in months, even if I had done something, which I most assuredly did not, I don't know if we even _have_ a relationship she can feel betrayed abou_t."_

"How did you get her underwear in your flak jacket?" Shizune asked, trying not to smile.

Shikamaru shook his head. "I told you, she…she…" He floundered for a moment. "…she pretty much attacked me! It was like she'd been given a mission. She'd even read a book and had done everything in it that was expected of someone trying to seduce a man."

She pinched the cut closed with her fingers and continued sewing. "That doesn't explain why they were still in your pocket, Shikamaru." She said, looking at him archly.

He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "We were staying in the Kazekage's apartments, in the tower. I didn't know if she was going to go through and check what I left behind. I thought that I would get a little ways down the road and burn them in a campfire or something but I forgot about them. I even forgot about the scroll, I didn't even read it."

He paled for a moment. "Oh god…I didn't read it. She's probably reading it. I wont even know how to argue about it."

Shizune only chuckled again and finished the stitching. "Twenty two." She said, pressing a clean bandage over the closed wound and taping it down. "Good luck, Shika. I did all I could." She was still trying to hide a smile.

"Make sure you come back tomorrow, I can close it better with a jutsu by then. I'll leave you two alone."

He leaned back and looked up only to see the flattened tip of his tanto in extreme perspective. "Don't move." Anko said, grinning at him in a feral snarl.

* * *

Kakuzu grumbled as Hidan finished yet another of his 'holy rituals'. "Can't you hurry it up? Everyone's going to be after this kid at this price, I don't want to have to kill more people to get the same bounty."

"Shut up, asshole I don't talk about your constant bounty stops!"

Kakuzu sighed. "Yes you do, actually."

"Anyways, what's so special about this one? I thought we were going after that fire temple guy?"

Kakuzu turned to where Hidan had pinned himself to the ground. "It's more than twice the bounty and I think it's Itachi's little brother."

"Wow, really? It would be nice to get a rise out of that guy." He said, ignoring the giant scythe sticking out of his stomach. "Let me see." He said, trying to crane his neck.

Kakuzu held up the picture of Sasuke but Hidan shook his head. "Doesn't look anything like him."

The larger man turned the photograph back to himself, glancing at it and then turned it upside down so Hidan could see it properly.

"Oh yeah…they could be brothers alright." He yanked the scythe out of his stomach with a growl and sat up. "Yeah, that sounds like way more fun. Lets get going."

"That's what I was trying to say. It's a lot more money and we don't have to carry the whole body, just his head."

Hidan stood and shouldered his scythe again. "So where is he?"

"You've hit on the one downside."

* * *

Enjoy

Dave


	18. Chapter 18: Escort Duty

Chapter 18: Escort Duty

"Oh settle down." Anko said, placing the tanto back into the sheath on his back. "I'm not going to kill you."

He eyed her suspiciously. "I can live through a lot though and I don't like pain."

"Your story checked out. There was only one set of your prints on the unopened scroll case and the underwear wasn't even dirty."

He rubbed his head, "I don't even want to know what test you can do to check a pair of underwear for cleanliness." He still watched her carefully.

"You smell them, dummy."

"You couldn't have checked that before you started cutting me?" He said examining his ruined jacket.

She shrugged, "Burn the evidence faster next time."

"I don't think that would have helped."

"You know what you're problem is, Nara? You're too damn passive." She said, throwing her hands up in the air.

He quirked an eyebrow at her. "What are you talking about?"

"This…everything. You're too much of a sissy. I ignore you for two months and you just give me as much time as I need. You could have fooled around in Suna and really got my goat but you wimped out." She stood in front of him now. "I attack you in your own damn house and you just run away."

He watched her, his face unreadable as she continued. "So I get some half-baked notion from that cotton candy kunoichi, I rip your place apart, thump you around a few times and you come crying to Shizune for comfort? It's like I'm dating a wet noodle."

Shikamaru watched her, his face unreadable. She stood, staring at him with angry eyes and a flush in her cheeks. "Nothing? Too troublesome to argue, wimp?"

He rubbed his temples even though it made his shoulder ache from the movement. "Let me get this right. I…" But he got no farther when she ran right over him.

"No, you got it straight from me, noodle boy. I don't want your intellectualized victim hood. Shizune's in the other room, go braid _her _hair and bend _her _ear about it." Her nostrils were flaring now.

"Get out." He said, his voice angry now.

She shook her head and turned away from him. "I really expected a little more fight out of someone with the tomatoes to go after Orochimaru, I'll see you around, noodle boy…just don't look me in the…"

"Kagemane successful." He growled and stood.

* * *

"Shizune! What are you doing?" Tsuande said as she rounded the corner. In her hands were a tub of icecream and a spoon that could have doubled for a shovel.

"Shh!" Her assistant hissed, waving her over to the door she stood outside of. There was a sound like breaking glass and a bit of a scuffle on the other side. A shout rang out and then a yelp.

In a lower voice Tsunade said, "What's going on?"

"I think Anko's getting a whipping!" She said, giggling madly into her hands. She gave a brief explanation of what had happened that was punctuated with a few wails and several whistling cracks from inside the room.

"We'll have to share the spoon. I'm not leaving to get another one." Tsunade said somberly.

* * *

Shikamaru stretched as the sunlight hit his face. He yawned and cast about the room looking chagrined. The place was a disaster but it wasn't going to get touched till after breakfast, he was starving.

He slipped on his pants, careful not to disturb Anko who was snoring and pulled on his flak jacket though he had no shirt on, it was somewhere under her. He opened the door, or rather tried to but something was blocking it. He pushed a little harder and there was a thump as something fell over and a muffled grunt.

He slipped out of the room and sighed.

There at his feet, outside the door was Tsunade and Shizune the former still holding a spoon in her hand and the latter holding the empty bucket of chocolate ice-cream. They both had rings around their mouths and were just starting to wake up.

He sat down across from them and waited.

It didn't take long for Shizune to notice him and squeak. She sat up and began trying to wake Tsunade with several rough shoves. "No more, toad boy…I need my beauty sleep." The Hokage answered, her voice thick with sleep.

"Tsunade-sama!" Shizune hissed and the Hokage shot upright.

"Shit." She said upon seeing the Nara sitting across from her.

* * *

Anko stepped into the Hokage's office gingerly. "You summoned me, Hokage-sama?"

"Ah, Anko. Have a seat." She said, still writing something on a scroll.

"I'd rather stand, Hokage-sama." She said, looking at the wooden chair fearfully. _Where's the plush leather one that was here?_

"It wasn't a request, Anko."

* * *

"I actually have a blister, Nara." Anko complained, adjusting the bag of ice on her posterior. "Now the Hokage wants me to clean up this room like it's my fault."

Shikamaru smiled, "She owed me a favor."

"Oh ha ha, very funny, you're helping me with all this, you know that right?" She said and groaned.

"I could have added my house to the list too but I've seen how you clean, you just shove things into closets."

"About that…I'll pay for the windows."

He arched an eyebrow at her and she winced again as she adjusted herself so she could look him in the eye. "...and get the tree out of your roof, fix the water damage I guess. I don't know how I'll get rid of the smell but I'll try."

He shook his head. "Next time you should maybe just talk to me sooner."

"I tried that, you ran off."

"No, you tried to decapitate me."

"The second time I only threw a rock. I was just trying to slow you down."

"You better get started." He gestured at the room and stood up from the bed. She hissed as the bed springs jostled her as well.

"You're seriously not going to help me?"

"Hokage's orders. Her word is law and all that."

He tied his hair back and looked down at her. "Why _did _you disappear for two months?" He said and she removed her face from the pillow she'd buried it in.

"I was…just making excuses I think, to make you mad. It's hard to get a rise out of you, Shikamaru. I just need to know that…you know." She said, not really wanting to say it out loud.

He nodded. "Once your rump isn't so roasted, I think you should move into my house."

"What the hell for?"

He shrugged, "I own my home, you rent so it's fiscally responsible, it would be less troublesome to see each other as you live across town but I think it's mostly because I want to keep an eye on you. Take your pick. I have to go destroy Sakura's foreseeable future but I'll be back in time for lunch."

She watched Shikamaru leave, trying to figure out why he would want her to move in with her.

_Room's not going to clean itself I guess._

Anko groaned and stood up. Something on the table caught her eye. She found a small note from Shizune and a bottle of medicinal cream.

"Oh you lovely woman." She purred.

* * *

"So, you probably know what I used." He said sternly, looking down at Sakura's who's eyes rolled wildly in their sockets. "It'll wear off in a few hours and it was the only pain-free way I could think of to instruct you on the finer points of minding your own business."

Their first stop was Naruto's apartment. He used a Kagemane to walk her paralyzed body with him. He set them across the alley on the roof and created a clone.

A slightly more forward Sakura strolled down to Naruto's door and they watched from the comfort of a nearby rooftop as she attacked the poor guy in a flurry of sloppy kisses and lusty promises. While he was not particularly proud of his choice in revenge, it was also victimless aside from Sakura herself.

He took a few pictures of the scene and made sure the bunshin was out the door before it dispersed.

Sakura grunted next to him in horror, her eyes screaming. "I know…it's annoying when someone messes with your life. Three more stops to go!" He said cheerily and walked her to the next house.

They visited Kiba next and the scene replayed itself. The last one was Kakashi which got fairly graphic but he dutifully took the pictures and propped her up so she could watch.

He saw that she was able to move her toes now and he wouldn't have time for a fourth stop so he walked them out of the village proper at a fast trot and lay her down next to a tree.

"Well, I've learned a few things today. I'm certain you have too." He said, assuming his instructors pose and tone.

"I'll be keeping copies of these photos, especially that one of you and Kakashi, in a safe place in case you decide to get cute and think up some way to get revenge. So, for all intents and purposes, when asked…you're the one that did all those things."

He stared down at Sakura from the tree branch he perched on. "You can make up any excuse you like, it just can't be the truth. Tell them a medical jutsu backfired and made you…" He fumbled for a polite word.

"A raging slut!" She screeched at him, able to vocalize her displeasure now.

He nodded. "Thank you. Yes, that. If you try to get revenge or if I hear my name in conjunction with any of _your _escapades today, I'll take the pictures and blow them up till they're forty feet tall and paste them in various places around town."

She rolled over onto her back and sat up, her shoulders shaking as she cried pitifully.

"That's not going to work. Next time you feel like meddling in other people's affairs, I hope you'll remember this." He told her back, indifferent to her tears.

"Try not to be this much of a bother again. I wasted a whole morning on this."

As soon as he made it out of earshot he burned the photos, hoping the bluff would hold. It was one thing to punish her but a completely different thing to punish other people right along side her.

He smiled. "All those tears with a simple bunshin." The first thing he'd done that morning was talk to Kiba, Naruto, Kakashi and Hinata to see if they would be willing to play a small prank on Sakura. The first three agreed wholeheartedly, Hinata took a bit of convincing but he was glad they didn't make it that far.

He just asked that they be out of their rooms for the morning and when they saw her next to flirt with her as if she was their girlfriend. Six bunshin and some theatrics later and he felt that he'd gotten even.

* * *

"You're looking a little better." He said, watching Anko clean the destroyed room. She'd patched the holes in the wall and was now actually cleaning. He sniffed the air. "What's that smell? Smells like…" He sniffed again.

"How the hell should I know? It's probably the wall repair gunk." She said, turning her back to him and smelling her fingers which still smelled like the cream Shizune had slipped her. She wiped them on her skirt.

He shrugged dismissively. "This is taking forever. I'm going to go start moving your stuff, was there anything special you wanted out of there. I was thinking just your clothes and leaving the rest."

"I didn't agree to move in with you."

"Probably your cat too, I guess. I hope it's comfortable outside though."

"You're not listening to me."

He looked at her for a moment. "And toiletries I guess, toothbrush et cetera."

"I mean it, I wont be ignored!" She grumped.

"I'm not bringing your shoes though…you never wear them. Let the next tenant have them." Then he opened the door and stepped out.

"You better get my damn shoes!" She yelled at his back and he smiled.

He poked his head back into the room. "Anything else?"

"I hate you."

"Ok. See you tonight."

* * *

Ino and Chouji agreed to help though Ino forbade the Akimichi to go into her bathroom once she saw the state it was an, as if she was embarrassed as a woman on her behalf. She went in and closed the door behind her. Occasionally as they were packing her things into boxes they would hear her cursing in the small room.

Chouji already had a key to the Nara residence and was allowed almost anywhere within the compound. Once they got a few boxes packed the Akimichi took a few under each arm and took off for his house. Shikamaru felt as though his best friend was doing most of the work but Chouji said that he'd gotten off of training with Guy and Lee to do this and needed to keep spry.

Keeping spry meant sprinting the complete length of the village with as many boxes he could hold and then sprinting back again. He barely had the next box packed before he was back and he'd made six trips before Ino was done with the bathroom.

There was a knock at the door and he saw Guy and Lee standing outside, Guy looking slightly apologetic and Lee with fire in his eyes. "We saw Chouji-san training! We want to help as well. We never thought to do wind sprints with unbalancing weight! It will be just like we're rescuing people."

"Sure…uh, you can take Ino's boxes." He said, gesturing them into the small apartment.

"And I'll get the furniture!" Guy said, grinning with a thumbs up at Shikamaru.

"It's…" He started but the eccentric jonin lifted a wardrobe that he suspected was full of various weapons and charged out of the door. "…a furnished apartment." He finished, now speaking to thin air and sighed.

* * *

He sat in the middle of his sitting room, attempting to tell dirty clothes from clean as Ino had folded them all the same. The only method he'd found that worked was actually smelling them and it was unpleasant work at best.

He picked up a shirt and sniffed it tentatively.

"Miss me that much?" Anko said in a bemused voice.

He tossed the offending shirt in the dirty pile which was now three times the size of the clean pile and turned around to see her standing in the doorway. "Just sorting. All done at the tower?"

She nodded. "Took six hours and two Kage Bunshin but I finished, I pity the next idiot to open the closet though."

He chuckled.

"How'd the thing with Sakura go?"

He shrugged. "She cried."

"That's something at least. Good for you."

He nodded. "You were lying about the tree and the water damage and if we don't get your clothes clean I suspect your lie about the smell will become a self fulfilling prophecy."

"Was the best I could do with a blistered ass." She kicked her way through her possessions and sat down next to him, propping her feet up on the 'clean' pile with a groan.

"The Hokage wants to see you, first thing in the morning. I told her you'd be there." She looked around the room and then sat up. "Where are my shoes?"

"You really wanted those?"

"Son of a…"

He grinned at her. "Settle down, they're in the other room, there wasn't enough room in here."

"Come on, Nara. Lets go to bed, I'm beat." She said, standing up and holding out her hand.

"Bed bed, like sleeping bed?"

She sniffed at him. "I sometimes just go to bed to sleep."

"I've heard there is a tribe of unicorn riding samurai as well, never seen one though."

"Don't be a smartass."

"Lead on."

* * *

The next morning found him in the Hokage's office.

Shikamaru nodded. "I assume my Anbu duties will be somewhat lighter?" He asked, arching an eyebrow at the Hokage.

"Suspended until the ambassador leaves." She answered, leaning back in her chair. "So we're…even now?" She asked, looking at him intently.

"I can understand sticking around to hear Anko getting what for, but that isn't all we did that night." He said staring at her. "I'll hold onto this particular one a bit longer."

Tsunade blushed slightly and grumbled something he didn't quite catch.

"Who's the diplomat?" He asked, trying to read one of the files on her desk upside-down.

She snapped the file shut and gestured for one of the chunin guards. He came in and bowed deeply to her. "Take Shikamaru to meet with Sabaku no Temari of the Sand."

_Shit._

* * *

He stopped Shizune who was walking with a small pig in her hands on her way to the Hokage's office. He whispered something in her ear and her eyes shot up. She stared at him for a moment then giggled.

"Shikamaru-san." The chunin guard reminded him.

"Yeah yeah." He stared at Shizune till she nodded.

"Will do."

* * *

"What brings you to Konoha so soon?" He asked, trying to sound conversational.

She was bent over an aloe plant at a vendor's stall in the bazaar. "The chunin exams are coming up again. Gaara and your Hokage thought it would be a good idea if we planned them together." She said, still looking at the plant.

She gestured at the plant. "It's common for us to grow aloe, it's resistant to low water environments, I don't know why your vendors would market it as an aesthetic though. With your climate you could grow any number of far more intriguing plants." She turned to him, her face serious.

"They're being held in Konoha again?" He asked trying to keep her on a safe topic.

"That's for us to decide. We've sent off invitations to the other villages but our Kage's feel, given the recent problems surrounding the chunin exams, that participating in foreign exams would be unwise. So they're of the opinion that the other villages can accept or not but they don't really care."

They walked for a moment until she bent over to examine a small maple bonsai tree. "Do you find me attractive?" She said in the same voice she had given her explanation in. He felt the gears in his mind grinding as he tried to catch up to her topic shift.

"If it's…wait, what?" He said, scratching the back of his head.

She looked over her shoulder at him. "It's a simple question." She said then turned back to the plant. She said a few words to the stall owner and purchased it.

"You are an attractive woman." He said in what he hoped was a diplomatic way.

She held the plant in both arms as they continued on. "That doesn't answer my question."

"I wouldn't be this uncomfortable if I didn't think so as well."

"Oh good." She said, walking resolutely through the bazaar.

He glanced at her. "That's it?" He asked, fearing the answer.

"Were you expecting more?" She said, catching sight of the Yamanaka flower shop and making a bee-line for it.

He cringed inwardly but continued on. "No, just…it's an odd question by itself."

She shrugged and stepped into the shop, the bell ringing to announce their arrival. He sighed in relief when he saw the person behind the counter was not Ino.

Shara smiled at Shikamaru happily, "Just a second. I'll get her." She said, turning and disappearing into the back room before he could stop her.

"The reason I asked was that relationships between people are generally started around a mutual attraction and develop into deeper, more meaningful partnerships with time and effort…" Ino walked into the room smiling at this point and he tried to direct Temari's attention to her, unsuccessfully. "…since you've admitted you are attracted to me and obviously the feeling is mutual, we have a solid basis to start getting to know each other better."

Chouji stepped out of the back wearing an apron as well. It looked like someone had dressed a tree in lace. "Hey Shika, Temari-san. What brings you two around today?"

Temari turned and smiled at the two. "Yamanaka-san, Akimichi-san. Shikamaru was just showing me the sights of Konoha, despite being here several times I've never had a chance to take them in."

Ino was turning purple at this point and her finger came up, beginning to point at Shikamaru. "Oh!" Chouji said seeing the telltale signs of a Ino freakout, he grabbed Ino around the waist. "I hear your father calling! Goodseeingyoutwobye!" He said in a rush and pulled his pre-rage girlfriend into the sound-proof backroom.

"How very odd." Temari said, raising her eyebrow.

_I'm going to buy him a lifetime pass to a barbeque pit. _He thought, letting go of a breath he didn't know he'd been holding.

"They only sell flowers here?" She asked, walking around the front room.

"Yeah." He said and blinked as he saw Chouji _prance _out of the backroom shaking the floor as he skipped.

"Look at me, look at me. I can interrupt my girlfriend cause I'm a big strong man but I just looooooove my apron." He said in a sing-song voice, swishing the lacey apron back and forth. He did a pirouette and giggled with a finger to his lips, batting his eyes at Shikamaru and Temari.

Chouji slumped and then looked back up, grinning at them apologetically. "What a kidder…she's…she's just teasing. Anyways, hope you enjoy Konoha." He said, blushing and backing away. He turned to the back room and shouted. "I told you what would happen next time!" Before disappearing again.

Temari turned to Shikamaru and mouthed, '_What the hell?' _

He shrugged and gestured at the door. They quickly made their way out of the shop.

* * *

Anko cleaned her nails with the business end of a kunai. She was perched atop an apartment building, watching Shikamaru and the sand kunoichi stroll through the bazaar.

Shikamaru wasn't really to blame for this latest foray on her bad side. The Hokage's orders came before her personal comfort zone but he didn't have to look like he was enjoying himself either.

_I'm not being jealous, I'm just making sure she behaves appropriately. _

Temari was the ambassador to Konoha from Suna. There was very little she could do to her without causing an international incident but that didn't mean she couldn't have a heart to heart with the girl once the tramp was done throwing herself at Shikamaru.

_A nice little chat. _Though her thoughts strayed a bit darker than just a friendly conversation.

It was hours before they separated and growing dark. There was a brief mumble of pleasantries but she wasn't really paying attention to what was being said. Her entire being was focused on what she was going to tell the trollop.

She waited until Shikamaru was out of sight before leaping to a rooftop along Temari's direction of travel and waited.

She was so intent on the woman walking down the street she let out a small yelp when she felt a blade press against her neck.

"Why are you following me?" The voice said, not angry but simply curious.

_This is why I don't date! Men make women sloppy. _

She tried to sound cocky but felt heat flushing her cheeks, "What makes you think I was following you?"

"You can answer me or I can signal for Konoha's Anbu patrol." She said, her voice growing hard.

Anko sighed, "I was assigned to protect you for the duration of your visit."

Teamari sniffed derisively. "I think I'll do fine without you."

Anko felt the blade disappear and relaxed somewhat, turning around. _Well, there's hardly any recovery from that pooch-screw. I'll just have to kill Shikamaru and find another bed-buddy. _

She ground her teeth but spoke politely. "I'll try to be a little more discreet."

"I would appreciate it. When you draw attention as a bodyguard, you invite danger to your charge. I can pass as a visiting Suna villager but not with a shadow that has the stealth skills of a bull." She spoke as an instructor would speak to a child and Anko pinched her thigh ruthlessly, trying to keep her mouth shut.

Temari eyed her for another moment and then slipped back down to the street, walking away.

* * *

Shikamaru pushed the cut tomatoes into a bowl. He set a sweet onion on the cutting board next and began dicing it as he heard the door open and close.

"How does stir fry sound?" He yelled, hoping she wasn't mad at him. He'd sent Shizune to tell her that he'd be escorting Temari around all day and he'd been dreading her wrath.

He heard her kick off her sandals, they hit the wall with muted thuds. She strolled through the sitting room to the kitchen where he was still cutting vegetables.

"Does it matter? It's the only thing you don't burn." She said, pinching him on the rear. She sat on the counter next to the cutting board and began picking at the tomatoes in the bowl.

He grinned at her. "Shizune told you, right?"

She nodded and he felt relief well up in him. "I tried to get out of it, that woman is a handful but the Hokage said she asked for me personally." He tossed the vegetables into a pan where they sizzled loudly. "The good part is I'm clear of Anbu duties until she leaves so I'll be home evenings."

She grunted at this and stared at the table. She spit the tomatoes in her mouth into her hand. "Why are there three place settings?" She asked leaning over her palm.

He turned back to her. "I invited Temari for dinner. I thought it would be easier if she just met you and realized she was wasting her time with this whole…thing."

He heard a small snapping sound as he tossed the pan back and forth, searing the vegetables.

"Want to…run that past me again?" She said, sounding pained.

"I know it will be…uncomfortable but she can see that we're living together and…"

He felt her hand on his shoulder and winced as she gripped it like a vise. "The first part."

"I invited her to dinner…" He said, looking over his shoulder at her.

"I'm not eating dinner with that pig." She said, looking away from him.

"Anko, she's not that bad, she just…I don't know… has a thing for me."

"Not doing it."

"It would really help me out, I don't want to be peeling her off of me the entire time she's in Konoha." He said, trying to cook and look at Anko at the same time.

There was a knock at the door and he cursed. Suddenly Anko was next to him. "Did you tell her I live here?" She said, her voice urgent but soft.

"No, I was going to…you know spring it on her, shock her out of all this."

"Don't. Don't tell her a damn thing. You're on your own, Nara." She said, slipping into the dinning room and removing one of the place settings before creeping up the stairs.

"I'll never figure that woman out."

The knock sounded again and he shouted out. "Come in!"

He heard the door open and close.

"I'm in here. Sorry, I didn't want to burn the beef, this is the only thing I can cook." He juggled a few pans, trying to keep his mind in the present.

He didn't know she was in the room until she spoke. "I feel as though I've overdressed for the occasion."

He turned and saw her wearing a traditional Kimono in deep red silk. The neckline was…impressive. Anko wore net shirts all the time and not much else so what you saw was what you got. Most other kunoichi wore more binding garments for practical purposes and he remarked that Temari had adopted that habit as well. Her hair was loose and while not long, it looked much longer than when it was her traditional four pig-tail configuration. A single white comb was set over her left ear, pulling it back.

It was quite a change to see her in clothing that's only design goal was to enhance the person wearing it. He stammered something and tried to recover. "I…think you look fine. My father used to tell me…" He said, finding his equilibrium again. "…that beauty needs no excuse for display."

She smiled at this and he exhaled a breath. _Did that sound… _He knew Anko was listening and he was caught between a rock and a hard place as a result. He didn't want to offend Temari but he also wanted to wake up in the morning.

He shook his head. Anko had bailed on him and said he was on his own. He was going to stop worrying whether he was offending her and just get through the evening. "It's probably my fault. I've never actually been a host for anything, my parents always took care of that sort of thing."

"I learned that your father is your clan's leader." She said, entering the kitchen.

He smiled to himself, remembering his father. He had hated when people saw him as a clan leader first and a jonin commander second. '_The Nara's would do fine without my hand banging the gavel. Konoha would _crumble _without me though.'_

"He was, he was killed in action almost two years ago along with my mother." It didn't hurt as much to say that anymore but it still brought visions of bloody heads at his feet. He shook his head to clear it of the image.

For the first time he actually heard emotion in her voice. "I'm sorry, Shikamaru. I didn't know. I was asking around town, trying to find things to speak about this evening."

He slid the vegetables off the skillet and into a small bowl. "It's fine." He smiled at her wanly. "Other than you get the worst host in Konoha for dinner."

She looked at the tray. It held several bowls, one for rice another for the beef and one for the vegetables. "My I?" She asked, looking at him as she stood over it.

"Sure, I'll get the cherry sauce." He snapped his fingers. "And the tea."

She took the tray into the dining room and placed it on the table then stood next to her chair.

He brought the rest of the meal in with him and placed it down as well. He looked at her for a moment. The one thing he did know was that he wasn't supposed to sit before her. A long silence stretched out until his mind clicked over.

He twitched and walked over to her end and pulled out her chair. "Sorry." He said, somewhat embarrassed. She sat and he pushed it in before taking his own seat.

"Itidakimasu." They chimed together.

He noticed she didn't take any of the beef. "So…" He said lamely. "…any ideas about the exam?" Even as he said it he winced, it sounded stupid and he hated sounding stupid.

"We'll have plenty of time to talk about that in the weeks to come. I'm more interested in learning about you."

"Like what? You pretty much know everything there is to know."

"Hardly." She said, the business back in her voice. "What are your plans for the future?"

_My plans or Tsunade's plans?_

"I'm actually not too sure. For the majority of my life I've always strove to be mediocre. Just enough to get by and not enough to get noticed." He shook his head.

"Why? Wouldn't it be better to do your best?" She asked, not chastising but curious.

He shrugged. "I was always me…underneath the act so I didn't think anything of it. When push came to shove I could always pull through. When you're doing your best all the time…people expect more out of you."

"You don't want people to expect things out of you?" She asked, taking a sip of the tea. He didn't notice her blanch at the taste.

"It's less troublesome when they only expect mediocrity out of you. There's no…" He started, looking for the word.

"Disappointment." She finished, staring at him intently.

He nodded. "I guess…when they expect huge things from you though...you're always just trying to keep your head above water. It's also the fastest way to kick the bucket, statistically speaking."

She quirked her eyebrow at him and he explained. "Of all the really great ninja in history I can only name a handful that survived to an old age. Take our fourth Hokage for example. It's arguable that he was the strongest shinobi in our history and as Hokage his reign was the shortest."

"He accomplished many great things though." She countered and he nodded.

"It's hard to guess what his life would have been like, if he would have done more good as someone with less expected of him , than he did as the most visible symbol of our greatest strength." He took a sip of the tea and coughed. "That's horrid, I'll get something else."

He stood and slipped into the kitchen. "He saved your village." He heard her call from the dining room.

"He was a great man, don't get me wrong. We'd likely be scattered if it wasn't for him. It's just…what if." He opened his refrigerator. "Sake, milk, orange juice, water and a beer that is probably older than I am."

"A glass of water and a glass of sake please."

He returned with her drinks and water for himself. "It's all academic now as I can't get away from the name I've made for myself."

"What name is that?" She said, smiling over her water.

He shrugged uncomfortably. "Nara Shikamaru, Slayer of Orochimaru, Pit Snake of Konoha et cetera et cetera."

She laughed at this, covering her mouth demurely. When he looked at her questioningly she shook her head. "I'm sorry, we thought the Pit Snake was your Torture and Interrogation specialist."

"Ibiki?"

She nodded and chuckled again.

He took a sip of the water and she tapped her sake. "It's unladylike to drink alone."

"I've never had it before." He said, looking at the glass apprehensively.

He shrugged and retrieved a glass for himself.

* * *

"That's quite enough about me." He said, leaning back in his chair. "What are your goals for the future?"

She smiled, her cheeks rosy. "The ones that don't involve you?"

"You don't give the enemy your attack plans."

She smiled at this quip and toyed with her water glass as she spoke. "Before Gaara was abducted, my main goal was to fold in a few of the minor villages into Suna. As I'm sure you know, our military strength has never been the highest but since Orochimaru's failed attempt to pit us against each other we've seen a steady increase in commerce. I wanted to turn that revenue into a fully functioning ninja academy."

"I hear a 'but'."

She raised her glass to him. "But…with Akatsuki trying to kill Gaara I'm going to have to focus on that for the time being. After they've been stamped out I can work on the infrastructure of Suna again. We just can't survive without Gaara. You hit on it when you mentioned his power. Right now he's what 's keeping some of the other villages from raiding our border towns. Fear of reprisal. Without him we'd be picked apart in less than a handful of years."

He nodded and there were a few minutes of comfortable silence.

"I have to say, Temari…this was rather enjoyable. I was half afraid you'd start throwing underwear at me."

Her face went blank. "Would it work this time?"

There was a wooden creaking from the stairs in the other room and he winced inwardly. He'd forgotten Anko was up there.

"I'm afraid not. I have to ask though, why me? It's not as though you wouldn't have your pick of the village."

"Ability is nothing without the wisdom to wield it. I have my reasons, Shikamaru but I've made a fool of myself once already so I think I'll try this again without being too forward. With my reasons or my…goals."

She stood from the table and he stood with her. "Thank you for a lovely meal." She said, bowing.

He returned it and escorted her to the door, feeling somewhat guilty for bringing it up. She turned to him as he opened the door and spoke quietly. "This was enjoyable for me as well." He carefully kept his distance from her but he needn't have. "First thing tomorrow?" She asked and he nodded.

"Goodnight, Temari-san."

* * *

Shikamaru stood outside the door to his room, his head resting against the thick wood. "Open up. We were just making polite conversation."

Her voice was muffled but he heard her clearly enough. "Go be polite with the couch!"

He banged his head against the door for a minute before reaching into his pocket. "I got you something." He said to the closed door.

There was no answer but he continued on. If there was one thing that Anko could be said to be predictable about it was an unopened package. They seemed to offend her with their mystery. She _had _to know what was in them.

"It has an engraving on it." He said, dragging out the mystery more.

He heard her feet on the wooden floor on the other side of the door and stepped away from it. The door was unlatched and opened tentatively, just a crack. He pulled the small box out of his pocket and dangled it in front of the crack.

Her hand shot out and took it from him just before the door slammed shut again. He smiled to himself and waited while he heard her tearing apart the wrapping.

"It's really a few things, I guess." He said, leaning against the wall next to the door. "It'll give you access anywhere in the Nara compound that I'm allowed to go, just…don't break anything I'm also responsible for anything you do while you're there."

The tearing stopped and he continued on. "On the inside it has my Anbu tracking number engraved on it so you can find me on the tracking board. I left it active but you can cover it with a little chakra. Chouji helped me with it."

The tracking board was the map in the Anbu main operations room that tracked every operative with their last known location. The numbers themselves were a closely guarded secret and only the Anbu captain and the Hokage knew anyone's but their own.

"You don't have to wear it, of course. I know it looks pretty possessive but I figured…" Which is about as far as he got before the door opened, interrupting him.

He couldn't see anything in the darkened room but tried to peer in anyways.

"Where's yours?" She asked, sounding suspicious.

He had wondered if she thought it was going to be part of a set. Promise rings were generally for couples that intended marriage but lately they'd became popular with younger couples as well. He didn't know if she was going to make fun of him for it or not so he chose to test the waters.

"It was a gift for you." He said not answering the question directly.

The door slammed again and he sighed before taking the other ring out of his pocket and sliding it under the door.

"You're the first Mitarashi to become a shinobi so I couldn't look up your clan symbol. I had to wing it a bit."

The door opened again. "You're such a dork."

He shrugged, looking away from the gap. Her hand lanced out and grabbed his shirt, dragging him into the room as well.

* * *

Anko yawned, scratching her armpit and stretching in bed. It felt odd, not waking up in her own apartment but the Nara's house was situated away from the main hustle and bustle of his clan and there were trees all around. Instead of shouting and braying animals she woke up to a bit of sunlight and birds chirping.

_All that and he's loaded. _She snickered to herself.

She slipped out of bed, leaving Shikamaru behind and crept down the stairs. She'd found the one creaky floorboard last night, much to her dismay, and avoided it now. Making her way to the kitchen she began searching through cupboards, looking for coffee filters and cups. Once she set the machine to brewing she sat down and lay her head on the kitchen table, snoring softly.

There was a knock at the door and she stood mechanically, shuffling for the door with eyes half closed. _Probably another summon from the Hokage. _She thought and opened the door.

"I should have known...you were the second pair of shoes." Temari said, crossing her arms and staring at Anko.

Anko's eyes flew open and she took her hand off the door handle, using it to point at the kunoichi angrily. The gesture was somewhat muted when her belt came up with her hand, still attached to her wrist. "He's mine!"

Temari rolled her eyes. "Cover yourself." She said in disgust.

Anko looked down. She was wearing Shika's old genin jacket that didn't close on it's own and a pair of his boxers and aside from the belt, her new ring and the pendant she never took off, that was it.

"Watch it, tramp. This is my place now, don't tell me what to do in my own place." She flipped the belt around once and it twisted around her wrist.

"Guilt him into that after you found out about his trip to Suna?" Temari asked, smirking at Anko.

"I moved in long before that." She lied.

Temari chuckled, her eyes hard. "Not long enough to figure out the creaks in the floorboards though. I knew I heard someone upstairs last night. Don't lie if you're not good at it, Anko."

She looked over Anko's shoulder. "Are you going to invite me in?"

"Sure, come on in. Watch where you sit, I didn't treat the furniture against cats in heat." She led them both to the kitchen and poured herself a cup of coffee without offering any to the ambassador.

"It's not going to work you know." Anko said, sipping her coffee and leaning against the counter scowling.

"How old _are_ you…exactly?" Temari asked, shaking her head. "Nevermind, it doesn't matter. I'm going to give you the story of how you two came to be together. Are you ready for this, Baa-san?"

Anko loosened her grip on the coffee cup as the handle broke. "Enlighten me." She growled.

"You met, it was probably work related. He brushed you off or didn't pay attention to you and of course you're a bit of an attention whore, everything from the way you dress to the way you act screams that. So he ignored you, despite your…indecent outfits and your brash way of behaving until you just couldn't take it any more, you threw a tantrum, showed your…" She didn't blink she spoke. "…vulnerable side and probably tricked him into bed. You made sure you were the only one with access to him, running off anyone else with your superior knowledge from _decades_ of experience and he convinced himself that he enjoyed your company as opposed to being completely alone."

She took a breath and looked around the room for a moment. "You showed him the tiniest bit of affection here and there, just enough to keep him satisfied but not enough to actually put yourself at risk. If your Shinobi skills are any indication he's probably had to help you out of your incompetence a few times, solidifying in his mind that you're a team when you're simply along for the ride. When you found out that someone else was interested you probably treated him like crap, made him feel bad when he actually _was_ being faithful to you and in a wash of undeserved guilt he invited you to stay at his place. You probably made him talk you into it just to stroke your ego."

Anko's mouth worked a few times before it snapped shut.

"Don't get me wrong, Anko. I don't care what you did. It's obvious that you don't like competition so I'll do you a favor. Go away and trick some other 'young stud' into giving a crap about the trash you're selling and I'll make sure he remembers you fondly. Because if you're afraid I can steal him away…" She said smirking at her counterpart. "…you're probably right."

Anko set the coffee mug down and stood up straight. _To hell with an international incident. I can make it look like an accident!_

She had just taken a step forward when they heard Shikamaru walking down the stairs. She stopped and leaned back against the counter.

"Anko do you have my…" He started and rounded the corner. He stopped and backed up quickly. "Ah…sorry. I would have put something on." He said, stammering. He peeked around the corner and waved.

"You did say 'first thing' I guess I slept in. I'll go get ready." He scratched the back of his head.

"Take your time, we were just getting to know each other. Anko-san was just making me a cup of coffee." Temari said, smiling at him.

Shikamaru grinned and disappeared back up the stairs.

Temari leaned back in her chair and shook her head. "The only good thing I can say about you is that you have excellent taste in men."

Anko busied herself with making a cup of coffee for Temari, her brain feeling like it was about to set her hair on fire. As she finished stirring the cream in she took the spoon out, gave it a sniff and sighed. She then snorted and hocked then spit into the cup and set it in front of Temari.

"I forgot to mention your obvious class." Temari said, pushing the cup away with a single finger.

"I aim to please."

Temari sighed, "I don't want this to be a free for all. You know him better than I do. You can handle yourself as the adult you _obviously _are and accept that I'm going to be with him over the next three months or you can behave like a child and likely send him running for me. It's really your own inadequacy that you're demonstrating and while it's…comforting to me, I'd rather not stress Shikamaru over it. Win or lose, we should be able to conduct ourselves with dignity."

Anko snorted, "I read that scroll you gave him. Dignity isn't in your repertoire, honey."

Temari flushed at this and Anko grinned maliciously. "I'll grant you that my first attempts were crude but I, unlike you, can say that I'm giving this my full effort. You're dropping scraps, hoping that he'll be content with them, too afraid to give too much of yourself for fear of it being rejected. Of the two of us, I may be a bit clumsy but I am definitely not the coward."

"Horseshit." She said, growing angry.

"Really, Anko? Then tell me exactly how you _feel _about Shikamaru."

As she watched Anko struggling with how to express the sentiment she stood, picking up her coffee cup and poured it into the sink before rinsing it out. "I'm going to like it here."

* * *

Shikamaru pounded down the stairs and rounded the corner into the kitchen expecting to see Anko choking the life out of Temari. All he got were two smiling faces. "Sorry about that, I'm ready when you are, Temari."

She nodded and bowed slightly to Anko. "Thank you for the coffee, it was a pleasure to finally meet you. It has been most instructive."

Anko grinned until it was almost a snarl. "Have fun you two."

After they left she went upstairs and murdered two pillows with a kunai.

* * *

"It's difficult to balance an appropriate escort force with a rear guard for both villages. The increased security comes with the escort force being distributed around the hosting city as an augmented patrol."

Temari sighed and put a line through Iwakagure.

Shikamaru turned to her questioningly. "It came in this morning, they're not participating."

He nodded. "Was an invitation sent out to Oto?" He asked quietly.

"I can if you like but I knew you were co-planning this particular exam so I refrained. The universal truce is all well and good on paper but some people should turn up dead. The problem with that is that it undermines the overarching banner of peace."

He nodded and said nothing. She was correct of course but it didn't mean he had to like it. He'd been hoping to glean a bit of information out of the Oto candidates as to the whereabouts of Sasuke and Kabuto but he doubted they would have sent any more regardless.

"We have to decide on the location." He said, rubbing his temples.

She nodded. "Our largest problem, we can agree, is Akatsuki at the moment. That means Naruto, who will likely be participating and Gaara who will be residing are in the greatest danger."

"Our location should reflect this." He said, turning another map over. "The fire temple." He said, looking up to her. "That solves three problems. It's just this side of the Land of Rivers between our two villages, it has a standing number of monks to augment our own forces and it's easy to defend. Based on the immediate threat, we can send more from each village knowing that Naruto and Gaara wont be at either."

Temari looked at the map. "It's fairly close to that Akatsuki hideout you released Gaara from." She said, her eyebrows drawing down.

"We've sent people since, they seem to have abandoned it and regardless it's better the nest you know than the one you don't."

She nodded, consenting the point. "Alright. Fire Temple it is."

"I'll let Tsunade know so she can get permission from the head monk."

She nodded. "Are you hungry?" She asked, still staring at the map.

He thought about it for a moment. "I skipped breakfast, yeah."

"We didn't have to leave right away." Temari chided.

Shikamaru chuckled. "Anko may have been putting on a nice face but she's only got so much social pleasantry in her. Unless it's a tea ceremony..then it's like watching a completely different person."

"I would not have guessed that."

"That makes two of us." He stuck his head out of the door and whistling at one of the Hokage's guards. "Is this going to be fine here? We're going to lunch."

The chunin nodded and waved him off.

"Alright, what are you in the mood for?" He asked, gesturing out the door.

* * *

Ramen was not what he would have picked but at least he knew a good spot for it. They sat in Ichiraku's stand waiting for the food to arrive when Naruto walked in, leading Iruka.

"Hey Shika, Temari. You guys on a date or something?" Naruto asked, incapable of allowing a thought to cross his mind without it also crossing his lips.

Iruka conked him on the top of the head. "Hey Shikamaru, congradulations on making jonin. If I had to pick a single student from your class to make jonin first it would not have been you."

"Thanks, Iruka." He said, taking a sip of water. "I wouldn't have either."

Temari turned to Naruto. "I didn't get a chance to thank you for helping Gaara, he said he would have been fighting a losing battle with Shukaku without your help."

Naruto grinned broadly and shook his head. "It was nothing, he and Sakura did most the work. Is he coming to visit Konoha soon?"

Temari shook her head. "It's difficult for a Kage to get away from the village and more than a little dangerous."

Naruto nodded at this soberly and she continued. "What made you think we were on a date though?" She asked, smiling in that same unnerving way.

"Oh nothing I guess, I heard you guys were out together yesterday from Chouji and Shika said something about breaking up with Anko during the mission so I figured…" He cut off and was looking over Temari's shoulder at Shikamaru who had been making a kill gesture.

"Interesting assumption." Temari said but said no more about it.

Their food arrived and both Naruto and Iruka insisted they go ahead and eat. Their own was still being made.

* * *

"Not coming back?" Shikamaru said, looking at Temari who had stopped outside the ramen stand.

She seemed to think on it for a moment. "No, I should get a list of genin candidates from the jonin commander in Suna." She paused. "There's a play tonight that I would like to see. It's being performed in the market district, perhaps you would accompany me?" She asked.

She saw him hesitate slightly and smiled inwardly. "Invite Anko along if you like."

"Sounds good, I'll let her know." He paused. "What sort of occasion is it?"

She grinned at him in a predatory way. "You'll want to wear more clothing than this morning and slightly more dressy than now."

He chuckled and nodded at her before turning to leave.

She watched him round a corner before ducking back into the ramen stand.

"Hey Naruto." She said and watched him turn, noodles dangling from his mouth and his cheeks puffed out. "I'll pay for your meal if you tell me what Shikamaru said about breaking up with Anko."

He swallowed noisily. "My whole meal?" He asked, looking at her skeptically.

She nodded, grinning at him.

* * *

"What do you mean? I thought you two hit it off, she said you were quite intriguing." Shikamaru said, eying Anko skeptically.

She shook her head. "That's not it, I just have a mission. It shouldn't be but a few hours and I'll be back before you wake up." Something in her voice was strange though and his staring didn't relent.

"Ok, well I'll cancel. I've been meaning to check on the deer population anyways." He said, closing his closet.

Anko chuckled, "Oh no, Nara. You're not getting out of it that easy. She's an ambassador. Keep her happy."

_She's not looking me in the eye, that's what's bothering me._

"You know this is just a mission right?" He asked, staring at her.

"I'm not worried about her you idiot. I just have some preparation work to do and I'm behind schedule already. Go out, don't let her get handsy and tell me how it went when I get back. I'll make some breakfast."

He opened the closet again. "Ok…it's going to be awkward though, she asked me to invite you."

"Probably not as awkward as you think. I gotta book it, Shika." She said and kissed him on the cheek before bolting down the stairs.

He stared at his closet. _Dressy…right._

* * *

Anko kicked at a stone in her path. She'd henged herself in case their path took them past her for any inexplicable reason. She currently looked like a farmer's daughter.

_Almost everything she said was true. _She thought dejectedly. It was like being torn down by a Hyuga. She had been that accurate. _Not cause she was there but because I'm a 'type'. _She'd struggled her entire ninja career to not be a 'type' and there it was, staring her right in the face.

"…_too afraid to give too much of yourself for fear of it being rejected." _That had stung the most and it was because it hit closest to home. Even when he'd asked her why she'd been distant for two months she couldn't bring herself to say that she'd needed him and loved him.

Had she tricked the Nara into feeling something for her? She _was _older and she had been more experienced in relationships, albeit the horizontal kind more than anything with deeper meaning. Was she manipulating him even now? Her jealousy had been genuine, she hadn't acted on something she didn't feel but the results were exactly what Temari had said.

_I tried to make him guilty for something he didn't actually do. I didn't trust him at all because I'm not trustworthy and I think everyone is like that. _She cursed Orochimaru in his grave.

_I need to relax. Shikamaru's a decent guy. _She played with the ring on her thumb, twisting it. _He wont drop me like a bag of shit._

She tried to convince herself of this. _If he drops you it's because you _are _a bag of shit._

She kicked another rock. _I need to get my mind off of this. _

Anko sat down on a park bench and leaned back, trying to stare at the stars the way she'd seen him staring at clouds. He'd said it helped him quiet his inner voice. She sat like that for hours doing everything from trying to count the stars to trying to connect the dots in obscene ways.

None of it worked until a group of drunken louts caught sight of her and veered towards her bench. She looked back up at the sky and said a small 'thank you' to whatever sympathetic ear had sent the idiots her way.

"Hey, sweetheart! Want shum company?"

"Absolutely not, you smell like a frog's balls."

There was some conferring among the group of four. They reached a consensus shortly. "Whad you shay?" He asked, still walking towards her.

"I said you smell like the southern end of a northbound yak, you goat screwing, inbred nitwit."

The group laughed uproariously. "How can such dirty thingsh come from such a purty mouth?" He asked and two of the group sat down on either side of her. "Doesh it do anything elsh dirty?" He hiccupped and almost upended himself.

"Got a bellyful of some liquid courage, do ya?" She said and grinned at him rakishly. "Tell you what, if you leave now I'll forget about all this."

"What if we don leave?" He asked, leaning in close enough for her to smell his breath.

She turned to the other members of his troop. "None of you guys are going to defend my honor or anything?"

They leered at her and then laughed again.

"Sweet."

* * *

Ibiki scowled at Anko. "Prisoners are better when they're not dismembered, Anko."

"Three toes and a pinky finger is not excessive."

Ibiki rolled his eyes, "It is when you can incapacitate without doing permanent damage." He looked at her as he filled out the appropriate paperwork to incarcerate the group. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I was out for a walk when Numbnuts and his traveling troupe of borderline vegetables started poking me."

He shook his head and put his pen down. "I've known you since you became a genin, Anko. Spit it out."

She sat down on a bench against the far wall of his office and let out a sigh. "I think I'm a bad person."

"You're not brimming with an excess amount of empathy, Anko…but I wouldn't say you're a bad person. What's brought this on?" He asked, clasping his hands together.

She turned away from him and crossed her legs. "I think I tricked a guy into liking me."

His eyebrow rose at this. "Tricked, how?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

He opened a desk drawer and pulled out a large bottle of a honey colored substance. "It's not sake but I like it, just the same."

* * *

Anko hiccupped and continued with her story. "So…I..I…I made him feel…jeaaaalous." She cried, tears sliding down her face. She stopped just long enough to take another drink.

Ibiki patted her on the shoulder, still sipping his first cup. "I'm going to show you something, Anko. Try to refrain from attacking me."

He'd sent away for food during the two hour conversation he'd had with the Mitarashi and he now leaned over his desk and took a stick of her dango. She watched him carefully through puffy eyes, her tears stopping. He began eating it.

_He better get the point pretty damn fast. That's _my _dango._

He finished the entire stick and then reached over to her plate again. A kunai came out and she stabbed his desk. It would have been his hand but his reflexes were still sharp. "See?"

"See what, jackass? Don't touch my food."

He rolled his eyes. "Is it wrong that you're worried about people taking things from you, Anko?"

"Not when they buggering well do it." She said, shaking the bare dango stick at him.

"Now that I've taken your dango, are you going to be more watchful?" He reached forward and just as he was about to enter the 'zone of no return' he grabbed a file folder and set it on a pile next to his desk.

"Yeah, I know you got a thing for dango."

"What about the next person that reaches for it, will you be worried that they'll take it to?"

She thought about this for a moment. "I don't know…I guess."

"Will you pull a kunai on them when they're only reaching for the table salt?"

She shrugged. "I can't promise anything."

"There's the rub, Anko. You can worry about something happening but you can't anticipate it at the expense of others. You're worried that your boyfriend is going to dump you to the side like…"

"Don't say his name." She said, growing cranky.

"…like before. So you're stabbing his hand every time you think he's reaching for dango. As for the rest of it, yeah…you're a bit older than him but in a few years it wont really matter and given his obvious intelligence, it doesn't really make a difference now." He gestured at her ring. "He's made his choice regarding you, Anko. Don't try to make a different one for him."

She sniffed. "What about all my emotional stuff?" She said, tears starting to well up again.

"It's a problem, Anko but you know it's a problem. Treat it like a mission. Plan around it, train for it and if necessary, force yourself through it."

"Ever think it would be easier to just…go the Kakashi route." She said, staring at the bottom of her glass.

He nodded. "Easier, definitely. Better? Not by a long shot. Enjoy the pains as much as the pleasures, Anko. Some day you'll only have fond memories of both." He said, growing wistful. His own wife had been killed during the nine-tails attack.

"Alright, Moreno. Yer the psychological genius. I'll give it a shot." She stood on wobbly legs and tottered over to him. "Come ere you hunk of lovin." She said making smooching sounds at him.

He rolled his eyes and endured it.

"I'm kissin' the noggin!" She proclaimed and pulled off his bandana, kissing his mangled scalp noisily. "Tastes like beef jerky." She said, smacking her lips.

"Alright Anko, no one likes a clingy drunk. I still have to put these four in a holding cell." He said, gesturing at her four attackers who were shivering and had been trying to not be noticed during the entire exchange. One of them glanced at Anko who hissed at him like a cat. He fainted dead away and she stumbled out of the room giggling and bumping into things.

* * *

I'm in the final stages of putting together my own website. I'll be posting the latest Kagemane Complete chapters there and then reposting them on once the next one comes out. I'll have two original stories posted there as well. They'll be updated as demand requires.

I'll post a link along with the next chapter next week.

Enjoy,

Dave


	19. Update Notice

Kagemane Complete Update!

* * *

The new website is up and running. I got too excited to wait till Tuesday. It's still under a bit of construction but the content is up and available for viewing.

I'll post the latest chapters there for a week before reposting them on fanfiction.

Chapter 19 is up and available for your enjoyment. I can't post a link as it's against the Fanfiction TOS but this is the website:

FantasyWritings dot com


	20. Chapter 19: Return

Chapter 19: Return

Sasuke surveyed the two shinobi in front of him contemptuously.

"So Konoha has finally given up on me?" He asked, no emotion reaching his face.

"That him?" The one with the scythe asked his partner.

The masked one nodded. "Look at the scar on his cheek. That's got to be him. How many people do you that are running around with a Nara clan symbol cut into their face?"

Hidan shrugged, "I didn't even know that was a clan symbol." He turned away from Kakuzu and pointed at Sasuke. "Hey, you Itachi's little brother?" He asked in a shout.

"You should really try to gather information with some other method than shouting questions at the top of your lungs." Kakuzu chided.

"Don't criticize me, jackass. It _always _works and anyways it's better than pussyfooting around."

Kakuzu sighed. "It only worked that once with the four million bounty Iwa nin."

"Yeah but it worked really good. 'Hey, you this guy?'" He said, mimicking his own voice. "'Sure am, what the hell do you want?' 'Your legs, they're worth four million on the black market.'"

"Like I said, it only worked the once."

Sasuke only stared at them.

"Alright, smartass…how would you figure out who he is?" He asked, watching the Uchiha.

Kakuzu pointed at Sasuke. "He's got the Uchiha clan symbol on his kimono and he's staring at us with the Sharingan."

Hidan squinted at the bored looking Sasuke and chuckled, "Oh yeah…hey that's pretty good."

"And you don't have to yell to get the information."

Hidan nodded, "And you look pretty cool when you can call some stranger out by name too." He waved at Sasuke. "Hey, Sautee!"

"Sasuke." Kakuzu corrected.

"That's what I said, dammit don't correct me in front of the bounties."

Kakuzu shook his head. "You ruined the 'looking cool' part. Can we just get his head and go collect the bounty?"

"You didn't want to show Itachi his head first?" Hidan asked, looking over. Kakuzu shrugged. "That's the whole reason I agreed to this one!" He shouted.

Sasuke broke into their squabble. "You know where Itachi is?" He asked, his voice low.

"Shut up, asshole! I'll get to you in a second."

Sasuke shook his head. "I'm being attacked by the two idiots of Akatsuki."

Hidan looked at him his jaw dropping open. He was about to say something when Kakuzu interrupted. "Do you think you can take him?"

"That's low Kuz, first he insults us both then you insult me. It's like we're not even a team."

Kakuzu stared at Hidan for a moment. "I just met you a month ago."

Hidan shrugged, "So? Didn't you have any team building exercises in Takigure?"

"Just get his head and remember that it can't be damaged, you can obliterate the rest of his body."

"Fine but we're going to go on a team building exercise after this."

Kakuzu shook his head, "Stop being an idiot."

Hidan growled something and swung his tr iple scythe towards the taller ninja. Kakuzu stopped it with his hand, his feet sliding backward a few inches. "Knock it off, this is a big payoff. We'll go on your team building thing after we turn in his head."

Hidan glared at him. "First we're showing Itachi right?"

"Fine, just hurry up. It's getting hot."

Hidan turned and faced Sasuke, "Hey, Sautee…" He started and Kakuzu muttered a quick 'Sasuke' under his breath. "…give up now or else!"

Sasuke stated at Hidan.

"Hey, did you hear me?" Hidan shouted, louder this time. He turned to Kakuzu, "Did it say anything about him being hard of hearing."

"Hidan, I'm going to tear off your arm again."

Hidan ignored his partner and began walking towards Sasuke. The Uchiha blurred out of sight and reappeared behind Hidan, his sword point sticking out of his chest. Hidan grunted and Sasuke twisted the blade before pulling it free and turning to Kakuzu.

Kakuzu only shook his head and went back to studying the black market bounty book, muttering "I usually have to tell _Hidan_ to keep his guard up."

Sasuke felt a hand on the back of his shirt and he brought his sword around, over his head and cut free of his garments.

Hidan, now looking at the handful of cloth he had instead of an Uchiha yelled back to Kakuzu. "He's pretty fast, this might actually be fun."

Sasuke bolted to the side and jumped back his sword coming around in an arc meant to behead the unharmed nin. There was a shower of sparks as Hidan met the strike with his scythe.

* * *

**TWO WEEKS AGO**

"We're not on any missions, granny! We're going for Sasuke." Naruto yelled as he and the Hokage clashed wills against each other. It had been happening off and on for a week now but this time he was not taking no for an answer.

"Since the price went up, it's just a matter of time before someone gets lucky and kills him. We have to bring him back to Konoha before that." Sakura said, standing next to Naruto.

Tsunade had asked her not to argue about it and she felt torn between loyalty for her sensei and her need to find Sasuke but in the end her loyalty to her teammate won out.

Tsunade sighed. "There's a distinct danger to letting you out of Konoha, Naruto. You know that Akatsuki is gathering Jinchuuriki."

"I don't care about that crap. We haven't heard anything from them since we destroyed their base."

Tsunade sat down and rubbed her eyelids. "Alright, I'll let you go on one condition."

Naruto beamed, he'd finally won an argument. "What condition?" Sakura asked.

"You take on a new jonin sensei and he accompanies you."

Naruto sniffed at this and looked at Tsunade suspiciously. "What's wrong with Kakashi?"

"Nothing and I don't care to explain myself to the likes of a genin. You'll take on a new jonin or you'll stay in Konoha."

Naruto fumed but in the end he relented. "Who is it?"

* * *

"I can hear them up ahead." Sakura whispered harshly. She removed a staff from her back and prepared herself for the coming battle. The staff had been a gift from Gaara. It had a counterpart back in Suna that gave it it's power. Every inch of it was covered with seals that bound it's form to that of it's two hundred kilo counterpart.

It was not unbreakable but it was beyond her strength to do so.

Naruto now beside her, was scowling at the thick forest, trying to catch the first glance of his missing friend.

He glanced backward at their new sensei who gave them a thumbs up.

As they entered the clearing they saw three shinobi. The first sat with his back to them appearing to be reading something. The second was standing over a symbol on the ground and turned to see them. His face was painted to resemble a skull and he held a large triple scythe in his hand. Naruto took notice of their positions but it was Sasuke that arrested his attention.

The last Uchiha was leaning on his sword, his kimono stained red on the left side with blood. Naruto made directly for the scythe wielder, a half dozen shadow clones accompanying him. They all drew kunai and charged the seemingly immobile nin.

Then Sasuke was there, dispelling his clones with a slashing sword and halting him bodily. "Don't…it's a curse." He said as Naruto opened his mouth to yell at him.

He pointed to the seal on the ground. "Any injury you do to him is done to me so long as he stands on that seal.

Sakura, right behind Naruto ran past them and Hidan turned towards her, grinning lopsidedly. "What are you going to do, little girl?" He asked condescendingly. Without pausing she stopped his slashing scythe with her staff and picked him up bodily by his robes.

"Er…Kakuzu."

"In a minute, I'm almost done."

She walked him out of the circle and spoke to Sasuke her eyes never leaving Hidan. "You're sure it's just when he's in the circle?"

The Uchiha nodded, still in pain. Making sure she was well clear of the circle she dropped him as he brought his free hand up with a small knife. She spun once and brought her staff around.

Hidan, as before brought his own scythe up to block the blow but was knocked completely off his feet and hurled through the air as the staff carried through the swing.

He flipped end over end, slamming into Kakuzu and picking him up, sending them both careening into the forest beyond sight.

She jammed the tip of the staff into the ground and went to check on Sasuke's injuries. His left shoulder had a jagged hole in it and his right leg was broken but she managed to knit both the bone and the muscle back together in short order.

"Why'd you come?" Sasuke asked, staring at them both.

Naruto grinned uncertainly. "We're taking you back to Konoha before this bounty thing gets out of hand. We talked with the Hokage and she said you'd be given a fair trial. Since you didn't really do anything to Konoha other than disobey a return order I don't think it'll be…"

"I'm never going back." Sasuke said coldly. "Even after I kill Itachi, there's no place for me there."

He noticed the small scratch on the back of Sakura's hand but said nothing.

Naruto stepped back and glared at him. "We just saved your ass, you're coming back if I have to drag you there myself."

"You'll have to get in line. Those two aren't dead." Yamato said, pointing to the edge of the clearing where the two nin were emerging.

He nodded towards the unknown nin. "I'll try to keep him away. Take care of the scythe wielder."

Naruto and Sakura both nodded. The former turned to Sasuke and pointed at Hidan. "Anything else you can tell us about him?" Naruto asked, still annoyed with Sasuke.

"He seems, for all intents and purposes, to be immortal. I've stabbed him through the heart four times and eviscerated him once."

Yamato's battle had begun before Naruto or Sakura could comment on this revelation.

Hidan rubbed his head and pointed at Sakura. "I've never been hit that hard before." He groaned at the kunoichi. "We're going to savor the ultimate pain together." His feet began drawing a symbol on the ground. A circle first then a triangle in the center of it.

Sasuke nodded. "Then he's released me." He said quietly and turned, walking away.

Naruto blinked, "Wait…what?"

Hidan's face went chalk white but only Sakura noticed. He drew a small knife across his open palm and Sakura screamed in pain. "Naruto!"

Naruto turned back to Hidan who only grinned at him in the same lopsided smile. "I've got a _great _idea." He said, ignoring Kakuzu's battle as wooden beams erupted from the ground, trying to smash his partner.

"In five minutes I'm going to kill the girl. Bring me the Uchiha's head, undamaged and without his body and I swear I'll free her."

Naruto took a step towards the Akatuski nin and he jammed the knife into his thigh with a growl that was drown out by Sakura's scream. She fell to her knees and Naruto halted immediately.

Hidan laughed. "Four minutes and fifty seconds left, you better hurry, he's almost out of sight now."

Naruto turned back to Sasuke and saw him running away, through the trees. "Sasuke!"

The Uchiha stopped but didn't turn around. He ran to catch up with him. "Sakura needs us, she's caught in that curse thing. I can't get her out alone."

He shook his head. "She's dead already."

"She saved you!" He growled pointing back to the clearing.

"I never asked you two to show up. It saves me a fight. I'm not going back to Konoha."

"Fine, we'll let you go, just help me free her." Naruto said, ticking off seconds in his mind. The calm of the woods was with another of Sakura's screams.

Sasuke still didn't turn around.

Naruto shook his head. "Shikamaru was right about you." He growled and took a step towards the Uchiha.

"Maybe." He said in the same dead tone and finally turned, heading back towards Sakura.

"Finally!" Naruto said, turning back towards Sakura. "What's the plan?"

Sasuke said nothing and Naruto followed, ready to follow his lead.

He stepped into the clearing and Hidan laughed. "Fixing to team up on me? I guess she didn't mean much to you anyways."

"Not really." Sasuke said. He drew and threw a kunai in one swift movement.

Naruto screamed and watched as the kunai slid through the air and took Hidan in the chest, right through his heart.

There was no screaming this time, Sakura only grunted and fell over, gasping. Naruto slid to a halt next to her and tried to press his hand over the boiling wound. "Sakura…what do I do?" He asked, tears in his eyes and panic in his voice.

She swallowed once and spoke. "I should have…loved you." She said and turned to face Sasuke.

"Please!" Naruto said. "You can heal this right? I can help, I'll give you my chakra. Just…you have to fix it there's too much…"

She turned back to him, her eyes already glazing over. "Kill…him." She took two more breaths and was gone.

Hidan laughed at the turn on events but by that time Naruto was gone too.

He stood in front of the Kitsune's cage. It spoke to him this time. It didn't always. Sometimes it just stared like some great malevolent presence.

"Is it time, Naruto?" It purred, it's eyes dancing and it's teeth dripping. "I can feel your bloodlust."

"It is but…"

"I will not kill him quickly."

Naruto wiped a tear off his cheek and nooded. He reached up to the paper seal on the front of the fox's cage.

* * *

Both Kakuzu and Yamato froze as they felt the nine-tail's chakra explode from the west. He checked his palm and said a prayer, running towards the clearing.

* * *

Hidan grinned at the nine-tails in front of him. It sniffed him, ruffling his hair and almost lifting him off the ground. Almost a full kilometer away one of it's tails crashed into the ground lazily throwing shockwaves into the earth.

"How fitting." It said, it's voice like the grinding of a thousand dusty bones. The nine-tail's eyes danced in bloody delight. "You are…almost immortal."

Hidan scoffed though his knees shook. "Nothing almost about it, asshole."

The Kyuubi laughed richly at this. "You had better hope I am right." Hidan screamed as the jaws came down scooping both him a thirty feet of earth up with him into the fox's gullet.

"Where is the…" He turned, fixating on Sasuke. The Uchiha had activated the final stage of his curse seal reflexively. "…ah. The hated Uchiha. Twice your clan has freed me from my prisons and twice you've controlled me. Never again…Uchiha." It said the name like it was savoring it. "Even the vessel craves your blood, like I've never felt before. It's intoxicating, being one with our hatred. It's never happened before. Always my prisons have been bound by…humanity."

"You'll find me harder prey than that fool." He said, the hands on his shoulders flapping in agitation.

The Kitsune began to shrink, collapsing into itself until it stood before Sasuke, it's head only up to his chest. "Show me, Uchiha." It said, laughter in it's voice.

The Uchiha disappeared, his sword in hand. The Kitsune ignored the bite of the sword against it's neck. Turning it snatched Sasuke's sword arm out of it's socket and shook it in it's teeth for a moment, rending the flesh so it could swallow the appendage.

Sasuke didn't scream. His hand clapped over the pulsing wound and he applied brutal pressure to stem the flow. His body shook like a leaf as he redirected chakra pathways before removing his hand. The terrible wound still dribbled but the arterial pulsing was gone.

He picked up his discarded sword in his offhand and stood in front of the Kitsune.

It began to laugh. A rich belly laugh that was far too immense to come from such a small container. The leaves on the trees around them shook.

Sasuke only smiled, sweat dripping down his grey face. "I…didn't know she was my friend." He said as his sharingan began to change.

* * *

They had all felt it. He doubted that any ninja in the world didn't feel that spike. It was like rough sandpaper all over his skin for just a moment. It had stopped all conversation.

Anyone over the age of eighteen could remember that feeling.

He turned away from the Nara clan leader, she'd stopped speaking anyway, her mouth falling open. "Gather the non-shinobi of the clan." He said as he bolted out the door.

In the streets everything had stopped. Vendors no longer hawked their wares, there was no general babble of the crowd. They were all looking to the north. Even the civilians had felt it.

Palpable terror raced through the streets of Konoha and he doubted that their village was the only one affected by the fear.

He made haste as he darted through the streets, the Hokage's Tower growing in front of him.

One of the chunin normally guarding her door almost knocked him over as he burst out of the tower's front entrance. He said nothing to Shikamaru, only turned east and was gone from sight in a moment.

He didn't bother entering, he leapt onto the wall and slipped through her window only a moment before Kakashi.

"Did Akatsuki get to him?" He asked as soon as his feet touched the floor.

Tsunade turned to him. "We don't know yet."

Kakashi scratched the side of his mask. "Are we sure it was Naruto? Couldn't one of the other tailed demon's have produced the shock?"

By the time he'd finished talking Asuma, Kurenai and his anbu captain, Baku entered the room. Guy was out on a patrol but he didn't doubt the man was already on his way back to Konoha and fast. He looked around the room for a moment. Faces were grim.

"Was he on a mission?" Shikamaru asked, breaking the moment of silence.

"Does it matter?" Baku asked.

Tsunade spoke before he could explain. "He and Sakura both went after Sasuke two weeks ago, I sent Yamato with them."

Shikamaru said nothing but anger began growing in his stomach. _I _told _her they would fail…why the hell did she let them go?_

"Itachi is a member of Akatsuki." From Kurenai.

He had made the connection as well. If Sasuke had found Itachi and then Naruto and Sakura had found Sasuke the whole chase had led Naruto right to them. The stupidity behind her decision cast a pall over the room.

"Be that as it may…" Asuma continued. "…we have to assume that it's on its way here now."

Baku turned to Asuma. "Why?"

"It hates that we imprisoned it. Twice now." Kakashi said, his single eye growing hard.

The Hokage nodded. "Send word to Suna requesting whatever aid they can give, tell the Kazekage that the nine-tails has been released."

Kurenai took this upon herself. She bowed slightly and left the room, heading for the roof. Asuma muttered a barely audible. "I think they already know."

Anko and Ibiki had no sooner entered the room before Tsuande spoke to them as well. "Recall all patrols and cancel any missions. Assemble our forces at the academy." Both bowed and left as well.

"Options?" She said, her eyes hard as steel.

"We need Jiraiya." Kakashi said, rubbing his chin.

Asuma nodded. "Agreed, only he has the skill to seal the demon again. He taught the forth."

She nodded. "I have no doubt that he's already on his way here."

Shikamaru shook his head in disgust. _How did I ever respect her? _

They conferred back and forth, making evacuation plans and trying to formulate a strategy against the Kyuubi.

The door burst open and Shizune arrived in a flurry. "Tsunade-sama, it's Sakura." Just before Yamato entered bearing a wooden litter carrying the bloody body of Sakura.

Tsunade looked at her for a long moment and then nodded. "You have your assignments. Kakashi, Asuma…help Anko and Ibiki. Hyyaki, stay a moment."

His eyebrows rose. He wasn't in his anbu uniform. She was slipping. He knelt next to Sakura as the other two jonin left the room. Her eyes were closed. That was something at least.

He pushed the hair out of her face and said a small prayer. _I'm sorry we parted ways on a bad note, Sakura. Peace on your journey._

He stood and turned back to Tsunade. She was sitting in her chair, tears streaming down her face. "I…did this." She choked out. Her misery twisting her face.

"Yes. You did." He growled.

Shizune turned towards him sharply but he ignored her glare.

She collected herself for a moment and then walked to a cabinet in the corner of the room. From it she took a scroll, almost the exactly replica of the toad scroll, and handed it to Shizune. Shizune looked at her in fear and began shaking her head. "No! We need you. I need you!"

Tsunade kissed the woman on her forehead. "Make sure she gets it, Shizune." She cupped Shizune's face for a moment and then let go, turning towards Shikamaru.

_What's she doing? _

"I'm bequeathing my title to you, Shikamaru. Be the leader I couldn't be."

He blinked at her. "What are you talking about? Are you abandoning the village after all this?" He yelled, his calm exterior shattered. "You can't just run away and leave this mess in my hands, I don't want to be the goddamn Hokage!"

"You will be the sixth Hokage or Konoha will suffer for it." She said, the tears on her cheeks drying. She only looked resolute now.

"I can't…I can't do this." He said. He sat down heavily on a chair at the edge of the room and put his face in his hands. After a moment he felt a touch on his shoulder and he looked up to see her standing over him.

"You're a coward!" He hissed, shoving her hand away.

She nodded and turned away from him. "You'll find the Hokage's journal in the top right drawer. It'll tell you everything you need to know…" She said, walking back to Sakura's corpse. "...just not how to be a good one." She finished in a whisper. "I had hoped to guide you a bit longer, teach you some of the hard lessons I had to learn but time is short now."

Shizune was openly crying now but followed Tsunade as she knelt on the ground in front of Sakura.

"What are you doing?" He asked, the anger in his voice making him sound cruel.

"I can fix _this_ mistake at least." She said softly, placing her hands over the hole in Sakura's chest.

He stood as her chakra burst outward. Her face blackened in places, lines forming on her brow and cheeks.

He watched in silence as the hole in Sakura's chest began to close and one began to form in Tsunade's. As fast as it was created it was healed, only a little blood dripping down her front. There was a cracking sound as Sakura's ribs shifted back into place causing her body to jump slightly. It was long moments as Tsunade finished healing her.

When she finished she sat back on her heels and panted for a moment. He looked but there was no sign of life in Sakura. "She's dead, Tsunade."

She smirked at him. "Yes, Hokage-sama but not for long." Grinning rakishly.

"Don't call me that."

She shrugged. "Going to put me on D-rank?" She barked a laugh.

Shizune hiccupped. "Please, Tsunade-sama…"

She patted Shizune on the shoulder and then rubbed her hands together. "Sosei no jutsu!" She cried and clapped her hand on Sakura's chest, over her heart. He was knocked off his feet and thrown into the far wall as her chakra seemed to explode outward all at once. He was pinned there for a moment and then everything went silent. His eyes picked up a small throbbing pulse in Sakura's neck. Next to her, laying down and still smirking was Tsunade. Her transformation had ended and he saw her for what she had always hid. An old woman, probably past retirement age.

Shizune cradled the woman's head in her hands and rocked back and forth, crying pitiably.

* * *

"Tsunade-sama made him Hokage." Shizune said, her voice strong, belying the red in her eyes.

Dozu stared at the group of them. They were in the Konoha council chambers. Almost everyone that had a say was there. On one side was Dozu, the council and the heads of the Konoha shinobi families. Standing behind him were Kakashi, Asuma and Anko.

"That's impossible. She'd never elect a child to the head of the entire village.' Hiashi said, scowling at the gathered jonin.

He said nothing only waited. The Aburame clan head, Shibi spoke after a moment. "You are in agreement with this, Hatake Kakashi?"

Kakashi looked from the council to Shikamaru and then back again. "Yep."

Shibi nodded, "Then the Aburame abide this decision."

Hiashi turned sharply towards the man but went unnoticed. "One clan isn't enough to…"

"The Nara abide." Tinow said, smiling slightly.

"Of course the Nara would agree." Hiashi spat.

"The Akimichi agree as well." Chouza said, looking angry and proud at the same time.

Hiashi sat back in his chair. "You've all lost your minds."

The two council members stared at Shikamaru relentlessly. Mitokado spoke first. "What makes you think that you're the best choice for Hokage?"

"I'm not. I'm…" He struggled with it. For his entire life he'd run from his potential, trying to ensure that his life was made up of a string of easily completed tasks. He was at the precipice now. All that non-work had done no good. Tsunade's last act in life had been to saddle him with the ultimate responsibility. He shook his head at the gathered people. "…I'm just the best you have right now."

He opened his flak jacket and made a few hand seals. Nothing he'd ever been taught. He knew them instinctively from the months he spent in Orochimaru's genjutsu. His only companion had been inside his very mind and he knew how to bring her back.

When he finished, instead of slamming his hand into the ground as with a normal summoning he slapped his chest with it and doubled over, groaning. He'd needed no blood for this summoning, the price had already been paid. A shadow, as dark as his Kagemane, appeared on his chest and he reached into it. He felt the Kusanagi strike his palm with the same magnetic force he'd felt in the first dream he'd had about her. He pulled the blade free of the snake realm and slammed the point into the ground next to him, using it to steady himself.

_**Hello, wielder.**_

He acknowledged her presence but didn't speak back to her. Other things were afoot. "I am the Rodaime Hokage." He said, his voice still harsh from the summoning. "If anyone doubts it, step forward now and face my judgment for treason."

* * *

Ready and Enjoy

As always, the next chapter is already up on my website and I'll post it here after a week. Check out Fantasywritings dot com and check out my original fics as well.

Dave


	21. Chapter 21: Firsts

Chapter 20: Firsts

Shikamaru smiled sadly. "There's too much at stake to walk on eggshells around this." He pulled the Kusanagi out of the floor and brought it overhead, causing the people in front of him to flinch. He set her across the back of his shoulders and she slipped into her snake form, curling around him. Though he was comfortable with her presence, in so far as he was sure that she wouldn't strike out at him, the people gathered had no such confidence and shuddered as the snake curled around his neck.

"We can't afford ambiguity right now."

_She won after all._ He thought, thinking of Tsunade. Even as a jonin or an anbu, he could still be himself. Now he was only the Hokage. When you lead a village of over three thousand people, there's no room for you. There was only your best. Now he was saddled with it.

Hiashi stood up and faced him, unsurprising given how he'd ascended to the mantle. "I will not be bullied, Shikamaru." He said, stepping away from the table.

The clan heads of the Nara, Aburame, Yamanaka and Akimichi all stood with him though instead of turning to Shikamaru as Hiashi had they turned towards the Hyuga, their faces hard.

Shibi spoke first, appearing almost embarrassed about the situation. "It would be an unfortunate loss if you chose to face our Hokage, Hiashi-sama."

Choza growled, "No, it'd be a damn pity if I had to clean him out of my shirt." He clenched a hand large enough to grip a watermelon.

Inoichi answered the Akimichi though his eyes never left the Hyuga. "It'd be a shame if your _wife_ had to clean him out of your shirt. We both know you've never done a load of laundry in your life."

Chouza turned towards his team mate, looking offended. "You're nitpicking. The point is we're going to turn him into strawberry jam."

The Yamanaka nodded. "But I'd rather fight this idiot Hyuga than your wife. If this gets back to her I don't want her to know that I didn't set the record straight."

Chouza turned to Inoichi, his face growing dark. "My wife would agree with Shikamaru."

Inoichi sighed, "I'll explain later. Suffice to say, I agree with you."

"So…strawberry jam?" The Akimichi asked, licking his teeth and grinning like a coyote in a chicken coup.

Inoichi chuckled, "Of course. She'd never forgive either of us if we didn't bring him back in a cup."

Though it warmed him to have the unqualified support of the most prominent clans, he couldn't be seen as weak right now. There might come a day when he could have them fight his battles for him but today was not it. If he was going to take control it would be at a cost. He raised his hand and they all turned back towards him. "Don't interfere." He declared and turned to look at Anko. "Not even you."

He saw her bite her cheek and when she spoke he could smell blood. "Yes…Hokage-sama."

Hiashi moved as quickly as Orochimaru had.

* * *

"That was…amazing." Tinow said, staring at Shikamaru.

He flicked blood off the edge of the Kusanagi and shook his head angrily. There was no love lost between him and Hiashi but he regreted it just the same. "No…that was my first failure as Hokage. We'll miss him, Tinow. He was strong and principled and unless I can convince the Hyuga to accept me we may be lost."

He turned to the other clan heads, still panting from the fight. "Honor Hiashi, he believed in something he was willing to die for. A memorial service will be held for both him and Lady Tsunade."

It was dead silent as he turned and walked from the council chambers.

* * *

Chouza grinned at Inoichi. "He believed in something all right but if you told him he was going to die for it I'm pretty sure he would have tucked his tail between his legs."

The Yamanaka only chuckled.

* * *

He sat in Tsunade's chair, feeling out of place. _I have to talk to them_. He wondered for a moment how Hiruzen and Tsunade had always summoned the chunin outside their door and decided that a yell worked just as good. "Hey!"

The door exploded in movement as two anbu and two chunin both rocketed into the room, weapons at the ready.

_Ok, not quite as good. I'm going to have to read that journal._

He waited until the Anbu finished a circuit of the room. No matter what he said they wouldn't listen until they finished. "Everything's fine, sorry. I want to speak with Hataki Kakashi, Hyuga Neji and Hyuga Hinata." He said in a rush as the anbu checked first the room and then the small piece of jewelry he wore. Every Hokage wore something different. It was only checked once before being replaced with something else. The Anbu were responsible for tracking and changing it. It was used as a quick confirmation of identity. His single yell might have cost Neko an entire day of updating forms.

She waited at the corner of the room as he issued his orders and after they had all left she approached him, pulling a small bracelet from a hip pouch. As he removed the necklace he'd been wearing he spoke, "Sorry…I'm still getting used to this."

She lifted her mask, staring at him with reddened eyes. "Just…be a good Hokage."

He blinked at her stupidly, his mouth blurting out the first thing his brain spat up. "That's why you taught anatomy." He stared at Hinata, willing his brain to catch up. As he stared she clasp the bracelet around his wrist, high on his forearm making sure that it wouldn't be seen. "How…" He started and stopped again. "I'm sorry, Hinata."

She dropped the mask into place again and spoke, her voice was careful. He could tell she had been crying. "I would have killed you if you had let the others fight him for you."

He let out a bitter chuckle, finally able to look away from her. "You'd have been right to." He said, staring at his cluttered desktop. "I would like to speak with the new Hyuga clan head." He said, staring at her cat mask. He needed the Hyuga and this was an opportunity.

She shrugged, her mask betraying nothing. "Hanabi is next in line, I don't think Baku will return with Hinata." Though her tone was respectful he could tell she was grinding the point home.

He pitied her situation. It was the same as his had been. There were people that he would have rather become the Hokage. If they could have just stepped forward and been the leader that they could have been. It was like that first day he'd found out about Orochimaru's plans to infiltrate the chunin exams. He'd screamed in his mind, "Why can't they see this?" It wasn't that they were refusing to see the best course of action…they just couldn't.

Now Hinata was where he had been only hours ago. Competent but afraid. He could imagine no one else taking the reigns of the Hyuga clan head. Hanabi, by all accounts, was simply a younger, female Hiashi and Neji would never be accepted. It annoyed him to admit that Hinata was his second choice. _Life is full of compromise, Shiki-kun._

"Without you at it's head, I think the Hyuga clan will try to leave Konoha, Hinata. You know your sister. Do you want her making decisions for the clan…" He paused and while he hated himself for twisting the knife deeper he did it anyway. "…or making decisions for the branch members?"

He saw her shiver slightly and turn away from him. "I request…"

He stopped her with a raised hand. "Granted, you can change in the Hokage's quarters." He shook his head at the slip. "I mean…my quarters."

She turned to him, her mask gone now. "I will need time with my clan. I've never asserted any control."

He nodded. "If you can wait, ten minutes I think I can make that easier."

* * *

"I told you that you were the best suited for leadership." Neji said, as deadpan as always.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "Is that what you're down to? I told you so's?" He said grumpily though it was the first reprieve he'd had since killing Hiashi.

Neji shrugged. "Despite steroetypes, if something needs to be said, it should be, Hokage-sama."

He knew Hinata was somewhere in the room but for the life of him he couldn't tell where. "I…fought Hyuga Hiashi and he was…unfortunately slain."

Neji's eyebrows drew down in a scowl. "Why am I here?" He asked sharply.

"I don't know anything about the Hyuga politics but I know you. What do you think is the best course of action?" Another knife to my friends. He thought sadly.

Neji stared at him for a moment. "If you're asking me to give direction for the Hyuga clan…I don't think you have a grasp of the situation, Hokage-sama." His voice was angry but he averted his eyes, staring at the ground. It was a measure of how off balance he was that he didn't stare Shikamaru in the eye.

"Enlighten me." Shikamaru said, apologizing in his mind. He was gambling and now it was with people. If he was wrong he was destroying a fledgling relationship between family members.

"I don't have the political presence to lead the Hyuga any more than…" He paused searching for a suitable person. "…Naruto. You mistake the Hyuga for the Aburame if you think we're driven by simply logic. We're a proud clan and rightly so." He held his chin out and Shikamaru suppressed a smile.

"Who would you suggest if not yourself for a leader?"

Neji took a moment before answering. "Hanabi is…in line."

Shikamaru rolled his eyes scathingly. "I didn't ask what the rules were, I asked what your opinion is."

"I can't discuss that with…" He started and then stopped himself. Talking to Shikamaru about clan politics was against the Hyuga law but he could refuse the Hokage nothing. "…I apologize, Hokage-sama. My personal recommendation would be…"

Shikamaru held his breath. This was the gamble. If Neji said anything but Hinata he was dividing the clan for another generation but he could see no other way around the problem.

Neji continued, his face dejected. "…Hinata. She is compassionate and intelligent." He paused for a moment. "I think she might also be…hiding her true strength."

He tried to hide his surprise but was annoyed when Neji's eyes flicked in response. _She hid it from Neji even._

Shikamaru nodded, "I agree, I was just making sure you were of the same opinion."

_**These are lives you're playing with**_, the sword thought. She wasn't judging, simply interested.

_Sometimes playing the game is the only way to win_. He countered and though it was a thought as convoluted as he'd ever sent her, he felt that she understood completely.

Hinata dropped down from between two ceiling beams. She fell next to Neji who reflexively activated his Byakugan.

Without looking at him she bowed to Shikamaru. "The Hyuga will be ready to answer your call, Hokage-sama." She said, politely and then caught his eye. "Just…give me a few hours."

He grinned at the duo. "You've got one."

Kakashi chuckled as the Hyuga left, causing Shikamaru to jump. The Copy-nin spoke slowly, his one eye squinted shut from grinning. "Sorry I'm late, there was a problem with the merchant's guild."

He decided not to ask questions._ Trust people to do their jobs._

"Empty the city, Kakashi. I want every man, woman and child on their way to Suna in two hours."

Kakashi, for once, was flabbergasted. The grin disappeared. "But…what?"

"You heard me. Empty the treasury if you have to, commandier every last resource if it's required, carry any stragglers but I want Konoha as dead as dust in two hours. The Kyuubi is on it's way here and I wont have civilians killed because I was too afraid to declare martial law. They can hate me tomorrow, for now they walk."

Kakashi saluted and then hesitated, "Does…Suna know we're coming, Hokage-sama?"

He opened his mouth but was interrupted as Temari stepped into the room. "They do not but I can guarantee, on penalty of my life, that they will accept every last citizen of Konoha." She turned to Kakashi. "I've sent my own messanger to Suna, Kakashi-san. Suna and all our resources stand behind the Leaf in this."

Kakashi stared at her for a moment and she grinned at him.

"That's not my decisions, Hataki. Gaara would have my ass if I said anything less."

As he spoke he gestured for the sweating chunin that had retrieved Kakashi. The man bowed, still trying to catch his breath. "I need Ibiki." He said and the chunin bowed before sprinting off again.

Kakashi was staring off into the distance over Shikamaru's head, trying to figure out a way to carry out his orders. "Kakashi, I don't want the shinobi speculating on the identity of the tailed beast in front of civilians." He said, staring at the Copycat. Kakashi bowed but Shikamaru thought he saw him grin.

If Naruto could be saved it wouldn't do to have the village hating him. The Hatake left at a bolt already shouting orders.

An anbu dropped out of the woodwork and he faced it, his eyebrows rising. His own snake mask stared back at him. "That's…who are you?" He asked, already forming the seals for a shadow step.

"I'm Hyakki." The voice was female but he couldn't place it.

He changed the seals and completed a shadow sewing. "No, you're not Hyakki. He's dead."

The snake mask lifted, exposing Anko's features. "I'm fine, thank you."

"Dammit, Anko. Don't scare me like that."

She shrugged. "Just doing the duty."

"You're not an Anbu anymore."

"I'm an anbu now."

"I didn't reinstate you."

Anko snorted. "And I didn't burn down your house, we're even now." She kicked at the floor although there was nothing there. "Just…I can't let you do this alone but I can't really help either." She said, trying to explain. "I…look I love you, and I think I'll just keep an eye out for you because you're a complete idiot when it comes to your own safety."

"I've done alright so far." He countered, deciding not to comment on her declaration. She'd never said it before and she looked extremely uncomfortable after having it out.

"Yeah…what's the highest number of sanin you've attacked in a single day?"

He mumbled something and she put her hand to her ear. "I didn't hear that, try again."

"Two, fine…just, when everyone else leaves you should help with the evacuation."

She shook her head. "I don't know how you made Hokage when you say dumb crap like that all the time."

_Whether you like it or not, you wont be here for the attack._ He declared in his mind.

After speaking with Ibiki, who had almost had a seizure when he told the interrogation specialist to empty the prison of anyone not waiting to be put to death, he walked out into the village looking for ways to be useful.

For an hour he tried to help with the evacuation. He received both hurt and confused looks as he explained that he was only there to help until finally he decided that he was hindering more than helping. The news that he had become the Rodaime Hokage had spread like wildfire among the shinobi and when he tried to help it seemed, to them, like he was saying that they were incapable of completing the task themselves.

After he'd given up trying to help he found himself in front of his parent's graves.

**_Why are you staring at the dirt?_**

_It's not something you'd understand._

**_Why did you take so long to summon me?_**

He thought about this for a moment and decided that if he'd given up his own dreams to be a good Hokage and the Kusanagi was helping him towards that goal…she deserved the truth.

_I'm afraid of you._

_**I'd never bite you.**_ He felt her think defensively.

"That's not it." He said, walking away from his parent's graves. He made his way to a small shack at the edge of the graveyard, taking a shovel from just inside the door. "You're all reaction, no contemplation." He hadn't realized he was speaking aloud until the shovel clanged against the stone of the walkway.

**_I can't change my nature._**

He chuckled to himself, his feet taking him to an empty plot in the graveyard. He stood on the verdant grass, one foot on the shovel. He spoke as he began digging a hole. "I know that now. I tried for years to change my own."

**_What do you want of me, wielder?_** She asked, not angry nor even particularly interested.

_Nothing that you haven't already given me._

He felt her struggling to understand before she finally gave up. **_I will cut when you wish it and slay our enemies, your soul belongs to the snakes and it's payment enough._**

He nodded. "That will be enough."

He was still digging when Kakashi found him. The Copycat was all business now, no smiles or orange books and though he didn't look out of breath Shikamaru could see small sweat patches at the edges of his flak jacket.

"Konoha is ready to march."

Shikamaru nodded and pushed the shovel into the soft dirt, leaving it behind. Kakashi led him to where the village had gathered. They were just outside the south gate. Thousands of people taken from their homes on his word.

He felt like vomiting.

As he was about to step in front of them Anko touched his shoulders. In her hands were the Hokage's raiment. His raiment. He sighed and declined the robes but took the hat. He stared at it for a moment trying to think of a reason to put it on.

He looked back over his shoulder at Konoha. The streets were empty but for a few people running to the gate with various possessions in their hands. _No reasons back there._ He turned towards the people again. A small girl caught his eye. He'd never seen her before but she stood with the rest of the academy students.

He could tell she was trying not to cry but it looked to be a losing battle. She called out a few times but over the babble he couldn't hear her voice. He started walking and heard Anko keeping pace just behind him. His feet took him to the girl. It would have been harder but people had begun whispering. Though it was in his hand they saw his hat and the crowd split in front of him.

He knelt in front of the girl and smiled at her. "Everything alright?" He asked, placing his hand on her shoulder. The crowd had grown silent though he didn't notice.

"I can't find my dog, I don't think he knows we're leaving the city." She said, her voice trembling slightly.

He thought about it for a moment. "He wouldn't be with your parents?"

"They're dead." She said simply. Though it didn't appear to hurt her to say it, he felt for her.

He nodded and stood. "What's her name?"

"It's a boy, his name is Seito. He's black with a white belly. He's not a nin-dog or anything but I love him just the same." As she spoke the tremble left her voice. He could tell immediately that she was a talker and he couldn't help but chuckle.

"Don't laugh dickweed, the nine-tails is going to eat him and you're laughing." She kicked him in the shin and he winced.

"Take it easy, I'll find your dog." He griped rubbing his smarting leg. "What's your name?"

She glared at him for a moment longer and crossed her arms. "Fuyumi. Who the hell are you?"

He placed the Hokage's mantle on his head and her eyes went wide. "Jeeze, brat…watch your mouth. I'm Shikamaru. When I find him I'll send word to Suna."

"You'll feed him till I get back?" She asked, squinting at him. After the initial shock had worn off she reverted back to hopeful skepticism.

"Yeah."

She grinned up at him. "Thanks, old man."

"That's Shikamaru, brat."

"See ya, bye." She said, ignoring his words and waving.

He turned away from her and realized that the crowd was staring at him. It was showy and perhaps a little costly considering he planned on facing a tailed beast in the immediate future but he pushed his feet off the ground with a few bars of shadow, lifting him slightly above the crowd.

"Kakashi and your shinobi will be escorting you to Suna. As some of you have already guessed, a tailed beast has escaped it's prison and is likely on it's way here now. Once the danger has passed I will send word. Remember that you will be guests in a foreign land. I expect each and every one of you to uphold Konoha's honor."

A voice called out from the crowd though he couldn't see it's owner. "What are you going to do?" followed by, "Is it the nine-tails?"

"We have no report on the identity of the beast. To my knowledge it's not the nine-tails." _My first lie. I hate this already_. "I'm going to ensure it doesn't follow your back trail." There was a general grumble from the crowd but he was finished and released the technique, his feet firmly back on the ground.

He gestured for Kakashi to get moving. It took almost another hour before the crowd was out of sight. He stood, watching the distant dust cloud.

Jiraiya found him there.

His geta were quiet, even on the hard packed dirt and his face was solemn when he spoke. "How did it happen? Tsunade I mean."

Shikamaru removed his hat, tucking it under an arm. "Sakura was killed in action by Sasuke. The Hokage used a resurrection technique on her."

"That the Kusanagi?" Jiraiya said, changing the topic with a heave of breath that didn't sound at all steady.

Shikamaru only nodded.

He began walking back into town. By all accounts he would definitely know in advance when the nine-tails was close.

"You read the journal yet?" Jiraiya asked, following him.

"I skimmed through it, we've been pretty busy since I took office."

Jiraiya chuckled. "I imagine so. You know I'll be staying as well then, to face Naruto."

The Nara nodded. "I can't say some help wont be welcome but this isn't likely to end well for anything within five kilometers of here."

"Especially when Gamabunta sees you. Myoboku has been in a bit of an uproar since you dual summoned and with a snake no less."

Shikamaru sighed. "I didn't know I was summoning a snake the first time."

"Tell that to a thirty story toad."

He thought about it for a moment. "He wont really attack me will he?" He asked the sanin.

"Not while we're dealing with the nine-tails but I think you'll have to do some quick talking afterwards."

He laughed at this and shook his head.

"So what's the plan?"

"I'm looking for a dog."

"It's a fox, Shikamaru."

The Nara shook his head. "No, it's for one of the academy students, she lost her dog. I was hoping to find it before the Kyuubi showed up."

"That's a pretty bad plan."

Shikamaru shrugged. "I don't know how to fight a tailed beast. I'm hoping it doesn't show till nighttime but I doubt it'll make a difference. I'm also hoping to be able to reach Naruto and have him reassert control over the beast and baring that I'm hoping to turn it north."

"Into Oto land?"

He nodded. "If it's going to go stomping around the countryside it mine as well do a bit of work for us."

"That's a better plan than searching for some kid's dog."

Shikamaru shook his head. "Those aren't plans, those are goals." He put his hands to his mouth and shouted, "Seito!"

Jiraiya shrugged began calling out for the dog as well. "What about the anbu?" He asked as they walked through the empty streets, the last of the legendary sanin and the Hokage looking for a dog.

Before he could answer they were greeted by Guy who had Lee in tow. They had been out on an extended mission to Tanigakure. Very likely they had been traveling at full speed since the chakra burst but neither one looked winded as they waved to Jiraiya and Shikamaru.

"What happened?" Guy said, his face serious, his eyes taking in the Hokage's hat under Shikamaru's arm.

He explained Tsunade's death and Naruto's plight as best he could pausing only occasionally to call out for Seito.

Once he'd finished Guy nodded sagely. "We can catch up to the column if you think that would be best Hokage-sama…but I think my rival Kakashi can handle the escort duty without my help. I would prefer to stay and help."

He nodded. "What about you, Lee?" He turned towards the newly promoted jonin but his question fell on thin air. Lee was running about, looking for the dog.

* * *

Naruto paced inside his cage. He'd never experienced his mind from this angle before. Where normally the fox lay in wait he now stood, looking out from between the bars. He knew what was happening as sort of a dream. If he paid attention to certain aspects of it he could make out details. A smell here, a sensation there. He was listening as Itachi explained why he had decimated the Uchiha clan.

Once Sasuke had killed Sakura he'd gained control of the Mangekyuo sharingan and with it had taken control of the nine-tails, enraging him further. Using his rage to keep him trapped he'd used Naruto to rip location of his brother out of the other Akatsuki member.

Now, torn limb from limb and bleeding out his last bit of life Itachi was relating the last moments of the ill-fated Uchiha and the reason they'd had to die to his brother.

Naruto could feel Sasuke's anger and pain. He lapped it up like honeyed milk. His control would slip eventually and then he'd have him. He'd lay his torn and broken body at the foot of Sakura's grave. Then maybe he could… What?

He ignored the train of thought. He knew that the Kyuubi's thoughts were transferring just as his anger was but he didn't care any more. He'd torn down his own defenses.

He felt the Kyuubi laugh at Sasuke's pain. Felt his primal glee in being the instrument of the Uchiha's pain. "Release me, Uchiha. I will end your pain…look at what you've done to the last person who cared about you?" Another rich chuckle. "Do you see how much pain he's in? His blood was delicious but it's filth compared to the big…fat…tears I see in your eyes. End his misery with your own hand. You've enough courage for that at least?"

He watched as Sasuke slipped his sword into his brother's chest, cradling his neck and speaking quietly. Itachi died to the earth-shaking laughter of the Nine-tails.

* * *

Shikamaru sighed and pulled his hand back from the growling dog. _Dog's just don't like me_. Lee was petting the mutt and it wagged it's tail happily at him.

"Alright, he's not going to let me touch him. Take him to the south end of town and find an empty building or something." They could all feel the gathering chakra of the Kyuubi as it neared the village. Lee salute and picked up the dog who licked his face.

He looked up at the sky. It was overcast and the sun was almost below the horizon._ That's something at least_. He turned to Jiraiya as the sanin snapped his fingers. "That reminds me." He pulled one of the scrolls off his back and handed it to Shikamaru. "That was Orochimaru's. It's the snake contract."

Shikamaru took it but shook his head. "I don't have the chakra to summon much."

Jiraiya shook his head, his eyes distant. "Manda doesn't require much chakra, he requires…"

**_He will come._**

"You're sure?"

**_Yes, but you may regret it._**

"I'll take whatever help I can get." Jiraiya only stared at him for a moment, his eyes unreadable.

He opened the scroll, using the Kusanagi to cut his palm. He felt a rush as the poison slipped into his bloodstream but was quickly absorbed. He placed his hand next to Orochimaru's and watched his blood soak in.

There was a deep thudding grumble that they all felt in their feet. As one they turned to the east and saw a dust cloud still rising into the air. It wasn't visible yet but it was coming like an avalanche. "Summon Gamabunta, I don't want their to be any mistakes once the Kyuubi arrives."

Jiraiya raised an eyebrow at him but shrugged and they trotted out of the village proper. Once they were clear of the buildings he clapped his hand to the ground. There was a whoosh of outwardly exploding air, causing him to cover his eyes. Though she hated it he jammed the tip of the Kusanagi into the ground and released the hilt, blinding her.

There was a cough, and he found himself staring face to face with the boss frog who did not look pleased to see him.

"I thought I smelled a snake. Traitorous and treacherous, Shikamaru…you better have a good excuse for summoning me, Jiraiya."

"The Kyuubi is going to attack Konoha." He said before the Toad sage could answer his summons.

"Can't you people do anything right the first time?"

Shikamaru shrugged. "I wanted to explain…about the snakes. We're going to have to work together against the Nine-tails and I didn't want any…misunderstandings."

"You mean like accidentally flattening you?" The toad grumbled at him, puffing on his pipe.

"That crossed my mind."

"You don't have much time, traitor. I can see the tails in the distance." Gamabunta said, loosening the dosu blade in it's sheath.

"I'm punishing the snake realm. They're responsible for every bad thing that's happened in my life over the last few years. They killed the third Hokage, my mother and almost killed my girlfriend. I was tricked into giving my soul to them once I die and I'm going to make them pay dearly for it. I apologize for signing your contract and for what it's worth I wish I could be done with the snakes forever…they've brought me nothing but pain."

Gamabunta chewed on his pipe stem for a moment. "We'd heard you broke the Kusanagi."

He gestured to the blade in the ground. "I did.

The toad leaned back on it's backside. "We'll have a more lengthy conversation at a later time, Shikamaru and I don't think you'll enjoy it but for now, you don't need to worry about me."

"Thanks…that just leaves the nine-tails to worry about." He took the Kusanagi back in hand and endured her anger though it was shortlived. "I'm going to summon Manda, I'm not sure how this is going to go."

Gamabunta sniffed. "Poorly if I'm this close. We'll wait by the lake." He turned and trundled off, Jiraiya perched atop his head.

He waited until the toad settled in, almost disappearing in the green foliage before using his bloody palm once again, this time to summon the snake boss. He felt himself rocket through the air as the snake burst into being under him.

There was a grumble that shook his entire body that issued from the snake. Once the smoke cleared he realized he was higher than the top of the Hokage tower. _I don't like heights_. He decided at once.

"The new signee dares to summon the great Manda as his first?" He felt the shadow spreading out under his feet and mastered his fear of the beast.

"Quiet, snake…you will speak when spoken to." He stomped his foot once to make his point.

The snake hissed menacingly. "And just who do you think you are, warm blood?"

"I'm the guy who killed Orochimaru." He hardened the spikes of shadow around his neck, pushing them slightly into his skin.

The snake tossed it's head once and then was still. "This is…not going to end well for you." He said, his voice a dangerous whisper.

He let the comment go. "We're fighting the Nine-tails, I want to turn it north."

"Why would I care?"

**_Release me._**

He allowed her into her snake form and she dropped to the scales at his feet. She slid away from him a few feet, enough for the pain to grow just to the edge of being sharp.

After a moment of conferring she returned and he scooped her up.

"Very well, human but you will uncollar me and for this insult you will give me one hundred lives in payment."

Shikamaru shook his head. "I'm not sacrificing people to you like some god, Manda."

The snake chuckled under him. "I don't want your human lives. They're pitiful and short. When I summon you, you will perform whatever deeds I ask. I'm only coming to an agreement to avoid a summoning war between us."

He thought about this for a moment.

"Fifty lives and none can be from Myoboku. I'm a Hokage now and I can't spend weeks in the snake realm."

"Very well. You may as well signal that idiot Bunta into the open I smelled his pipe the moment you summoned me. The battle is about to begin."

* * *

Guy patted Lee on the shoulder. "You've never faced a tailed beast before. The killing intent can freeze a man in his tracks, you have to master your fear of it before you can be of any use in the coming battle. Watch from the Hokage's monument. Watch how I attack, when you're ready…and you must be completely sure…join me. When it first attacked we lost almost forty nin in it's first strike simply because they didn't move out of the way."

"Guy-sensei. I want to fight!" Lee said to his sensei with a hurt look. Guy punched him in the chest, knocking the boy over.

"Then listen to me!" He said, grinning down at his clone. "There will be plenty of fighting to go around."

Lee rubbed his chest and leapt to his feet nodding fervently.

* * *

Shikamaru tethered himself to Manda in several places with shadows. He moved so fast that even gluing himself down wasn't enough. Gamabunta was about a kilometer off to his left. The Kyuubi, fangs bared, glanced between the two of them.

"Alright. This should be the shortest stint as a Kage in all history." He mused and signaled the start of the battle with a wordless roar.


	22. Chapter 22: The Anatomy of Anger

Sakura groaned as her eyes opened, her body on fire. It felt like her leg had gone to sleep except it was over her entire body and a hundred times multiplied. She could barely breathe without setting off a fresh wave of pins and needles. So she laid still, her arms at her sides and willed the feeling to pass. As she waited she began to hear the jingle of tack and felt the jostling of a wagon underneath her. The sky above her was either just breaking dawn or falling into night she wasn't sure which.

In a rush it all came back to her. The clearing, the Akatsuki nin and Sasuke throwing his kunai. She remembered saying something to Naruto but after that it was all blackness until she had woken.

_That's not right, I shouldn't have woken at all. I should be dead. _If she had had a shinobi on the operating table the moment they'd taken the same wound she had they still would have died. You don't take a kunai through the heart and wake up. Well, unless you were Tsunade.

She lifted her head slightly and the world spun around her. Her head thunked back down on the wood of the wagon and she groaned. A nurse's face appeared in front of her vision.

"Try to lie still, your body has endured an enormous amount of stress in the last few hours." She said, smiling down at her kindly. Then the face was gone.

She could feel her strength returning but it was slow. As if she'd just woken from a long sleep. She risked lifting her head again and the world only wobbled this time. She was wrapped in white linen, ensuring she couldn't hurt herself in her sleep but also limiting her movement when she was awake.

The position wasn't unknown to her, being in it was new though. She's placed many patients in stasis before. She shouldn't have woken if the stasis was maintained properly but as her mind recovered she realized that her situation was anything but normal.

She listened intently to the whispering, none of it heartening. A tailed beast was loose and by all accounts it was Naruto. She centered herself and began infusing her muscles with chakra as Tsunade had shown her. She needn't have to escape her bindings. She was already stronger than Guy and Lee together but she'd been doing it so long that it was calming to her. A ritual she knew and understood.

_I need my pouch. _She thought suddenly and sat up. The bindings around her split like tissue and she stood. The nurse, a woman she'd seen before but couldn't name barked something at her but she stood on unsteady legs anyways, glaring at the older woman. After a few tense moments the woman relented mumbling, 'Medic nin always make the worst patients.'

As she took stock of her surroundings she noticed three things right away. The first was unavoidable. As far as she could see people were walking, riding or jogging along the road her wagon was currently bouncing on. She didn't need to count the people to know that they constituted the bulk of Konoha.

The second thing she noticed was Shizune staring at her with red-rimmed eyes. She'd been around the woman and considered her a friend but the stare she was receiving spoke of anything but friendship. Malice gleamed in her eyes as she glared at Sakura.

The third was the scroll at her feet. It had been placed next to her in the wagon. She knew it better than she knew her own face. She'd stared at it every chance she'd got. Her mentor, now dead she realized with a sort of cold shock, had refused to let her sign the scroll until she'd finished her training. Tsunade's death was the only feasible explanation for all of the things that she was seeing at the moment. Which meant they either had a new Hokage or the village had been destroyed and they were on their way to...she looked around for a moment. _To Suna it looks like. _While she could appreciate the Kazekage's generosity, especially given the two village's long-standing enmity, she doubted that their hospitality was limitless.

_First thing's first._

_Shinobi don't cry. _She snarled at herself as her eyes welled with unshed tears. She bent down and unrolled the scroll, ignoring Shizune. She looked at the other names on the scroll but recognized only a few. The one that held her attention was Tsunade's. Her blood was just as red as if it had just been taken. She look around finding an open field, not willing to summon Katsuyu in such close proximity to so many people.

She rolled the scroll and hoisted it over her shoulder, still struggling to keep her tears in check at the realization that Tsuande was dead. She remembered one of her mentor's first lessons.

_Tsunade glared down at Sakura, her arms crossed under her breasts. "There's a reason I teach like I do, and there's a reason I wont teach some of the things I know." _

_Sakura looked at her questioningly. "Knowledge is knowledge, why wouldn't you teach me everything?"_

_The Hokage looked at her, her face stern but not unkind. "If you progress as you should, you'll figure it out yourself. If you don't, then you wont be worthy of those techniques."_

She hopped off the wagon on wobbling legs and trotted to the nearby field. She couldn't afford to get out of sight before summoning but she could at least get to a safe distance. She set the scroll down reverently, as though Tsunade was looking over her shoulder and realized that it was _her_ scroll now. A tear dripped down onto the parchment but she ignored it. Biting her thumb she made her mark on the scroll.

An intense feeling of freedom enveloped her. Sasuke was a traitor. It was as simple as that now. There was no love for him left in her. He'd cut it out. Mixed with that was a deep and abiding sorrow that she didn't allow herself to indulge in. She could mourn later. She knew why she was alive and the Hokage was not. As a medic-nin she knew that she should be dead. Only Tsunade could have reached into the grave and pulled back life.

She said a silent prayer for the woman and reached deep into herself for the boiling couldrun of anger that she knew was there. The _other _Sakura oblidged her and she drank from it deeply, feeding it until the ground trembled with her heartbeat. With a loud, "Kya!" she slammed her palm onto the ground.

* * *

Shikamaru shadowstepped into what he hoped was an abandoned shop. Night was still creeping towards them on ponderous legs and every moment he evaded the nine-tails was a moment he grew stronger. Full night wouldn't see him strong enough to defeat it but if he could just turn the bastard north he'd count it a win.

Gama Bunta bellowed a warcry at the Kitsune, leaping into the air, crushing a hillside underneath him. Manda shot forward as the Kitsune's eyes followed the toad up and snapped his jaws around the fox's leg, his thick body wrapping around the other on the same side.

Despite their hatred of each other, they worked in tandem. The fox bucked once and snarled, his tails shattering the Hokage monument as he fell on his side. Gama Bunta was on his way down now, his tanto clutched in all four limbs as if he were sitting on it. For an impossible moment Shikamaru thought they'd won. One of those earth shattering tails came around though, slapping the toad out of his dive and throwing him leagues to land with a tidal splash in a nearby lake.

He drew the Kusanagi and brought it over his head in an arc. As it reached the peak of it's arc it elongated, growing and growing until it was as long as the village was wide. It came crashing down on the Kitsune's neck with a clang that he could feel in his teeth.

_I thought you could cut anything! _He snarled at the Kusanagi.

_**If you knew how much chakra I just cut through, you wouldn't be complaining. You could build a mountain of your shadows with that much.**_

He let her slip back into a snake form as the Kitsune's gaze fell on him. _I would be dead already if Shukaku hadn't prepared me for that look. _Killing intent dropped on him like lead weights.

He used a small amount of chakra to project his voice. "Sasuke, surrender now!"

Jiraiya was somewhere out there as well as Guy and Lee. If he could buy them some time perhaps they could come up with a plan. Their plight was two fold. Sasuke was controlling the Kitsune. If they stopped Sasuke he had no doubt that the Kitsune would kill them all. The only thing keeping them alive at the moment was the Kitsune rebelling against the Uchiha's commands.

They were gnats trying to fell an eagle. He had to find a way for either Naruto to reassert control or to bind the Kitsune again. He was no expert in seals but thankfully Jiraiya was. If he could just give them time he had to believe they'd come through.

"There is no forgiving the Leaf. I will crush you all." Sasuke said, his voice level but louder.

_He's nothing if not talkative. _"Yeah, we've trained you, fed you and a few idiots have actually befriended you. No forgiving that." He knew what had been done to the Uchiha clan through the Hokage journal but if Sasuke had to explain it, so much the better.

* * *

Sasuke's eyebrows drew together in consternation. Blood still dribbled from the loss of his sword arm but he ignored it. He'd eaten a blood pill and knew that he was fine for a while at least.

He was master of the Kitsune. The entirety of Konoha spread out before him and he could wipe it out at whim but the victory gave him no pleasure. He was, for lack of a better word, purposeless. For so long he'd known exactly what he was about and what he was doing and now he was directionless and making it up as he went. He felt rage against Konoha and all of it's crimes but underneath that he was profoundly unhappy.

It stung that at every turn if he'd listened to Naruto and Sakura he'd still have a brother that loved him. He wondered, vaguely if he was making the same mistake again. Following the path of vengeance was easy. Anger was easy. He knew, logically that anger was empowering. It was so much better than being afraid all the time. He had been afraid of his brother when he was young but he'd replaced that fear with anger. It allowed him to function, albeit without moral compunction and with reduced effectiveness but it didn't leave him trembling and worthless. Anger had saved him from inaction but he knew, deep down that it was also his drug of choice. He inwardly blanched as his mind's eye painted the picture of his parent's death again and his own failure to act.

He'd spent so long thinking of anger as a tool to use to achieve his goals that it didn't occur to him that it was coloring not only his actions but also his decisions.

He shook his head furiously, ridding himself of the moment of doubt. _No, they will pay for their crimes. Justice is it's own reward. I will do what no one else can stomach._ He turned around to face the will of the Kitsune. It should have terrified him but he faced it without flinching, safe in a cocoon of boiling anger.

"Kill the Sanin, I will handle the Nara and keep away from us. I don't want any 'accidents'." Receiving no reply he drew on his will to dig barbs into the consciousness of the Kitsune. There was a moment of resistance and he jammed them in farther. The resistance fled and he knew that it would do his bidding. It was quite like having a tiger by the tail. He dared not remove the genjutsu from the creature but while it was active he only had limited use of his sharingan. He would have to do without genjutsu.

He wasn't going to underestimate the Nara again and he wanted to face him before night fell completely. He opened his eyes on the outside world just in time to see the Kusanagi retreating back to where the Nara weilded it.

* * *

Shikamaru stuck to the alleys of Konoha, relying on the lengthening shadows to bolster the few jutsu he had in place. The streets were dusty and he could still smell the myriad of day to day scents that had permeated the buildings for generations. A sparrow flitted through the street, flapping lazily, unconcerned with the battle taking place not far away. He could hear the fight between the Kitsune and Jiraiya raging, he could feel it in the soles of his feet. He hoped Manda was as good as his word but he didn't have time to worry about it. As sure as the moon he knew he was being hunted. He'd tied a strip of cloth over his eyes, effectively blinding himself. He couldn't take any chances with the Sharingan. Though he couldn't see the buildings around him he knew where he was. In his mind he saw the adobe home and he placed his hand against the rough stone of the wall to reinforce the vision.

Instead he relied on the Kusanagi again, his feet were bare and he was glad for the time he'd spent blinded in both the pit and after damaging his eyes. He was a bit rusty 'seeing' through her and his stomach turned as she switched back and forth from her five senses as they each became more useful than the last.

The hard packed earth of the street was a good conductor of vibration but it conducted everything and the city was badly damaged. Bricks fell with the shockwaves of the distant battle, making him pause to ensure it wasn't the footsteps of the Uchiha. It was slow going at best but that suited him just fine. Not only could he meander lazily but he was also burning daylight away.

He felt a surge of killing intent and then a large release of chakra just as the Kusanagi saw a huge heat bloom in front of them. He felt the heat from the flames on his face and he threw up a wall of shadow in front of him using it to shadowstep the fire back to where he'd felt the spike of killing intent. It wasn't unlike throwing kunai into the shadow except that he hadn't formed the half sphere as he had with Oorochimaru. It was still too light out and no doubt the Uchiha had seen the shadow forming even as his own jutsu ended. If he hit Sasuke it was likely the Uchiha had been vaporized. His clan had always been good with fire jutsu.

The urge to remove the blindfold grew inside him but he suppressed it. Instead of a pool of shadow around him he laced the area with shadow, sliding them into the darker cracks, along the edges of the roadways, under trash and debris until the entire area was awash with irregular shadow threads. It was less powerful but took less chakra to maintain as well. He didn't dare think for a moment that he had caught Sasuke in his own blast.

"Come out, come out." He said in a bored tone though his heart was pumping like a hummingbird's wings. His voice echoed in the alleyway ominously. As it came back to him he thought he sounded a bit like he was taunting the Uchiha. _Maybe that's why Ino gets so mad at me. I'd glare at me too. _

He felt, through the Kusanagi, a form land on a rooftop nearby and saw with her eyes that the Uchiha was staring at him. He sighed, realizing that he'd hoped the Uchiha had been killed as quickly as that and still feeling disappointed despite it being a low probability. _Can't blame a guy for hoping I guess. _

"They made _you _Hokage?" Sasuke said, a sword in his offhand.

Shikamaru could smell the blood from Sasuke's open wound. _That used to be his sword arm. I suppose it's too much to hope that he isn't ambidextrous. _As soon as he thought it he knew that it was a false hope. He'd seen the Uchiha throw kunai with both hands. No, even the loss of an arm wouldn't slow the traitor down much.

Shikamaru shrugged. "It was less a bother then making Kakashi take up the mantle." He pulled his own tanto blade free of it's sheath, not willing to use the Kusanagi in her sword form for fear of losing her sight. "Besides, who else would take the job? It has a pretty high mortality rate." He thought about this for a moment. "Actually...with the exception of me, it has a 100% mortality rate. That's pretty damn depressing."

Sasuke was silent, not taking the bait.

"Your dog do that?" He said, nodding to Sasuke's wound. There was no reply. "You gotta teach them early not to bite. I think I have a newspaper around here somewhere you can use."

"Why are you fighting for the village?" Sasuke asked, his tone hard.

Shikamaru sighed. "Technically I'm just standing around. Jiraiya is the one fighting at the moment. I sort of...delegated it out." He leaned on the handle of his tanto. "They say it's the mark of a good leader, what they feel comfortable delegating out. It means they've surrounded themselves with capable people. Personally, I think the people in charge just like to take it easy and it's an excuse to not do anything but there it is regardless."

Getting nothing from the Uchiha he forged on. "Why are you so hellbent on destroying it?" _Drag it out, Shikamaru._

**Just end him. Why are you bothering to talk? He's rabid.** Her tone was both annoyed and exasperated. She couldn't fathom why he wasn't killing the Uchiha already and it bothered her. She was never afraid and while he ignored her, he did take strength from her tone**.** It was calming to him to know that she was there.

_We've faced some weird stuff together._

**I miss the cave. You were easier to understand there.**

_There's more to life than just surviving.  
_

**No there isn't.**

He smiled to himself. Technically she was right, and that was something she was rarely capable of. _We're going to win._ She flicked his ear with her tail, showing her displeasure.

"You know what Konoha did to my clan and my brother." Sasuke said, not phrasing it as a question and breaking Shikamaru out of his internal dialog.

"What? Oh that, yep I know." Shikamaru said, affecting a yawn that he didn't feel.

"Then you know why I must destroy it." The certainty in his voice chilled Shikamaru.

He shook his head, turning it up towards where he knew the Uchiha stood. "Not a clue. By all accounts your brother performed his task without complaint. He even refused help. He was recorded as saying 'If someone else does it I would have to kill them for it.' For his services he was..." But he didn't get to finish.

"He was banished and made a missing nin." Sasuke said, the anger he felt just slightly bubbling to the surface. _It's the eyes, that's what's creeping me out. His eyes are dead even though he's flush in the cheek._

Shikamaru nodded. "He was also set up with a secret pension and an estate with every comfort. He chose not to avail himself of his early retirement and instead kept protecting Konoha and her interests."

This seemed to give Sasuke pause and Shikamaru pressed on. "Ask him for yourself, I'm sure he's on his way here after the nine-tails broke free."

"He's dead." Sasuke said, his voice calm and quiet.

Shikamaru cursed silently. "For that alone I should see you executed." Itachi would be sorely missed. A greater, more selfless ally Konoha couldn't have asked for. "You know he did it all to protect you and you've pissed it away." His bored affectations melted away and his eyebrows drew down, even under the blindfold. _Easy, Shika...anger isn't your strong suit._

"I never asked for his protection."

"And yet the only reason your alive to whine about it is because of that protection." He had already tried to stretch his shadow towards Sasuke but the distance was too great and the front of the building where the missing nin stood was bathed in fading sunlight.

Sasuke was silent and he continued. "Konoha owes much to Itachi and it's in the spirit of this debt that I will make you an offer. Relinquish control of the Kitsune and surrender and I will see to it that you receive Itachi's pension and estate, I think it's in the land of waves somewhere. You will swear an oath never to raise a hand against Konoha or it's allies and you will be officially titled a missing nin." It burned to offer the truce. Shikamaru the man wanted to tear off his head for the death of his mother but the Hokage had no such luxury. _No room for me, just my best._

"You're grasping at straws, Shikamaru. I can crush both Konoha and you, why would I surrender?" The question sounded rhetorical but he answered it anyway.

The Nara looked up at him grimly. "Power is not it's own reason, Sasuke. I would have thought you knew that by now. Perhaps you can do those things but the question you should be asking yourself is 'Should you?'"

"You can respect the legacy of your brother or you can throw it in a midden heap. Mark my words though: Even if I can't stop the Kitsune, I can stop you. Is your flawed need for vengeance worth your life?"

Sasuke thought about this for long moments. "They say you killed Oorochimaru."

Shikamaru threw up his hands, genuinely frustrated. "Why does everyone say that!? I was just there!"

Sasuke was gone. He saw a flicker of vibration before Sasuke's sword speared into his shoulder. The Kusanagi had detected Sasuke before Shikamaru had and had saved his life. Dropping in front of his chest she had turned part of her body back into sword form and had deflected the blow away from his heart.

He gasped in pain. The Kusanagi, still in snake form, curled around the blade in a flash and then winked into her sword form, straightening and snapping the blade in three places before returning to his shoulder again.

**This is what comes from bantering with a rabid dog.**

_I'll remember that for next time. _

Sasuke jumped back reflexively putting distance between them and shook his head. "I had thought for a moment that you really had killed Oorochimaru." He tossed the hilt of his sword away disdainfully.

"Told you so." He said, through gritted teeth. His shadow armor closed over the wound and the blade fell free with a clang. He sewed the rent in his shoulder together as best he could with shadows but it would need to be tended later, he couldn't hold it together indefinitely.

Shikamaru grinned at him ferally. "I'll give you that one for free. Last chance to surrender." He still hadn't moved a muscle.

As soon as the man opened his mouth to speak Shikamaru shadowstepped. He attacked with everything he had been setting up in the alley. Spears of shadow lanced out, not towards Sasuke but to where he might retreat to. The man was too fast to hit with shadow sewing but he could still plan ahead of him.

The Uchiha had summoned another katana and deflected Shikamaru's tanto attacks easily, attacking back in return. A combination of shadow armor, his own parrying and the Kusanagi deflecting what blows she could was the only thing that kept his head on his shoulders.

Sasuke was by far the better swordsman but he had to be careful where he stepped, sometimes attacking from the walls and other times flipping backwards to avoid the Kagemane as Shikamaru swept it about.

The last of the Uchiha was familiar with his jutsu though and using a scroll, tossed a flare high overhead, bathing the area in a stark white light that all but destroyed Shikamaru's shadow sewing. Only his armor survived and that only because it was beneath his clothes. Thus freed from the threat of a Kagemane he redoubled his attack.

He leapt onto a wall and groaned as the exploding tag on the other side of the wall exploded, knocking him into the wall across the street. Sasuke had done some planning of his own. His shadow armor held and he flipped to the street. He worked his kata, but it was broad in stroke. He was having to guess at movements, his sword blows were sweeping and provided him protection for a moment and then left him wide open, he was mitigating his vulnerability with shadow sewing. Forcing Sasuke to use the tiny opening in his defense to cut at the Nara.

By the time he could find an appropriate shadow to shadowstep to Shikamaru was bleeding from a dozen different places. None were life threatening but together they slowed him. He tossed back a blood pill and waited for the next attack.

* * *

Sakura mashed down the despair she felt when she saw the Hokage monument. Only the First had survived the nine-tails attack and half his head had been sheared off. In the distance she could see the titanic battle playing out between the two summons and the nine-tails. She didn't pause as she reached the Hokage's tower. Her only hope was that Naruto and Yamato had gathered her things after Sasuke's attack and brought them back with her.

Gluing her feet to the wall of the tower she sprinted up it, crashing through the Hokage's window. There, on the floor next to a blood-soaked stretcher that Yamato had obviously made with his wood release jutsu was her thigh pouch. She sighed in relief and picked it up. Opening it she checked the contents and pulled out two scrolls. Now was not the time to hold back. Naruto needed her and she wouldn't fail him. Not this time.

The first scroll she immediately summoned, trapped inside the seals was a set of armor. The Akimichi had helped her craft it using her designs. On every inch of the thick plate metal were inscribed seals. The mesh at the joints was so dense that even Chouji had had trouble bending them. She slipped into the armor. In all it weighed over four hundred kilograms and was three inches thick at her chest where a medic-nin symbol was laquored proudly in gold. It had cost the majority of her savings but if it worked she would gladly have paid ten times the amount.

It felt like supple leather to her and she quickly finished putting on the rest, topping it with an unadourned helmet. The second scroll she hung from a silk cord she tied around her waist. The weight settled on her easily enough and she took a moment to readjust the straps and catches holding it in place. The floorboards under her groaned in complaint but held. She lept out of the window and hit the ground with the sound of an anvil dropping from a great height.

_Not this time. _

* * *

Shikamaru finished sewing up a rather nasty gash in his thigh and sighed. The Uchiha seemed to have an inexhaustible supply of flares. Night had crept over Konoha but he was no better off for it. Still, he had a plan. Rather he had eight plans, none of which ended well for him but neither did they for the Uchiha.

The problem wasn't with his lack of a Kagemane. It was the delay between what the Kusanagi saw and when he reacted to it. The Uchiha was just too damn fast. It wouldn't be long now before the decision was made for him.

He deflected a complex set of attacks from the Uchiha relying as much on the Kusanagi as his own arm. He was steadily backed down the alley, giving ground under the onslaught. As they reached a cross street, shadows untouched by the flare Sasuke had thrown lanced out towards the Uchiha. He was expecting them though and slashed through the needles of shadow. Shikamaru had only meant them for a distraction and hadn't hardened them as he normally would have. They shattered like fine glass and dissipated. He used the distraction and the Kusanagi lanced out, slithering over his arm to bite at the Uchiha.

As quickly as she attacked he was just as fast. His sword came around and Shikamaru felt the bite of the blade on his wrist for a brief second before it was gone again. He heard the thump of his hand as it hit the ground in front of him. Someone screamed. It might have been him. Instinctively he cut off the chakra and staunched the flow of blood to his left wrist. Already he felt light headed. His shadow armor lanced out from under his clothing, spears shooting in every direction. His concentration was so scrambled that he didn't know where Sasuke was now.

His blindfold fell off, forgotten as he tried to master the pain he was in. He fell to his knees, panting and saw Sasuke standing over him. The last Uchiha flicked Shikamaru's blood off his blade and stared down at the Hokage coldly.

"Konoha will burn. Justice demands it."

Shikamaru grinned up at the Uchiha, his chakra gathering. He formed a shadow, the strongest he'd ever made. "Do you know what 'Hokage' means, Sasuke?" The shadow began to take shape.

The Uchiha's blade came down and Shikamaru grabbed the blade with a harsh clang. The shadow held. Where his wrist ended the shadow began, a three clawed fist of black as deep as nightmares gripped the weapon by the blade. "It means 'fire shadow'."

He felt a set of tremors at the edge of his perception and suppressed a smile. "Blaming the entire village for the decisions of one, even if you believe those decisions to be in error is insanity."

Even as he spoke easily Shikamaru could feel the crushing weight he was putting into the blade. His knees pressed into the already hard packed dirt and he redoubled his chakra output into keeping the claw intact. "It has ever been the duty of the led to question their leaders. Konoha would have no power without it's people. Their culpability is absolute."

"Absolutes don't exist in morality, Sasuke. I make sure I cover that day one in the academy as does Iruka. Surrender now or suffer my judgement, I'm tired of trying to convince you and I want some dinner."

Sasuke blinked at him, startled that he would even offer when he was in such a position. "Suit yourself." Shadows lanced along Sasuke's blade spearing towards him. Sasuke let the blade go and jumped backwards, right into Choji's open hand.

"Baiku no-jutsu!" He heard Chouji yell. The hand closed like the jaws of a bear trap and for a horrible moment Shikamaru thought Chouji meant to kill him.

Sasuke's face turned bright red as he was crushed inside the immense hand but Shikamaru only heard his collarbones snap, maybe his hip. He wouldn't die from that. He let go a breath he didn't realize he was holding.

"Now, Ino." He said tiredly.

"Your hand..." She started and he glared at her. "Yes, Hokage-sama."

She made the appropriate symbols and shot into Sasuke's mind. Before, she'd been able to look through memories as though she were searching through a file cabinet, she'd learned quite a bit more since then though. She cut off the nerve centers for the pain he was feeling. He would feel it still, there was nothing she could do for that even if she wanted to but it needn't bother her.

With Sasuke's voice she said, "I've got him, Chouji."

Chouji's grip lessened and the Uchiha fell out of his hand which returned to normal size. "Did you stop up the pain?" He asked, picking up Ino's unconscious body and placing it inside a large metal cocoon which he placed on his back. The cocoon was a new invention that he hadn't seen before. He could tell Akimichi handiwork when he saw it though and he doubted that anything less than the Kyuubi itself could get into that contraption unless Choji wanted them to.

Ino nodded Sasuke's head, his eyes staring blankly at the sky. Chouji brought his foot down with a sickening crunch and shattered first one knee and then the other. "That ought to keep the little lizard from jumping around."

Shikamaru winced but he saw the logic behind it. Not for the first time since the attack he wished he hadn't sent Hinata away. Her ability to block tenketsu would have made transporting the Uchiha much safer. He gathered up his severed appendage and stuck it in his jacket pocket. He knew he was still in shock but he couldn't stop for it. "You mine as well come out Anko, I can hear you up there."

He turned in time to see her land lightly on the ground next to Choji. She was still wearing his anbu mask but she raised it, setting it on top of her head. "You didn't say how long I had to go with the caravan...Hokage-sama."

He blanched at the title and resigned himself to a fight with her when they finally got to relax. "We'll talk about your interpretations of my commands later. The village is far enough away?"

She nodded and dropped the mask back into place.

"Can you control the nine-tails now?" He asked, turning to Ino-Sasuke.

Ino-Sasuke shook her head. "No, it doesn't work like that. It's tied to something he's done and I can't relate to it, let alone duplicate it."

He grumbled something. It was small enough hope but it would make things so much easier.

"There's something else, Shika." She said, forgetting his honorific. "He's not in control of it anymore either."

He cursed openly this time. Ino-sasuke motioned for him to come to her. "Come closer. I can at least use his chakra for healing and you look like you need it. First eat a soldier pill though and if you haven't eaten a blood pill do that too."

Ino had been bossing him around since they'd first met. Oddly enough, now that he was Hokage, her medic status superseded his authority in regard to medical attention. If she ordered him to hop up and down on one foot he'd have to do it...at least until he got a second opinion on the matter. It was odd the things you remarked upon when you were missing a hand. He nodded and dry swallowed a soldier pill, feeling life and vigor returning to his limbs. He kneeled down next to Ino-Sasuke and the captured nin's hands glowed blue. His movements were jerky and he could hear the broken collarbones grinding as she struggled to make his hands move as she wanted them.

"Gods, how are you still standing?" She said, Sasuke's eyes still blank in their head.

He didn't answer. "Leave...my wrist unhealed." He was having a thought.

He could feel his skin and muscles knitting back together and while it didn't hurt it was an entirely unpleasant feeling. Like a million ants were crawling inside of him. He released the shadow stitches as she repaired his cuts.

"I can try on your hand as well but I think we should wait for Sakura. She's...a bit farther along than I am." He could tell it killed her to say so but there it was.

"It's fine, here...you guys take it. Put it on ice or whatever." He took his severed hand out of his jacket and tried to pass it off to Choji but Anko intercepted it, waving it in front of his face.

"He's been plenty handsy with me already." She snorted a laugh and Ino scoffed. Anko made his hand make a rude sign and waved it at Ino. "Spin on it, Yamanaka." She stuck the hand down her shirt and admonished it to behave itself.

"Sakura is with the Konoha caravan. Take Sasuke with you and give him to Ibiki. He's not to execute him until I or Kakashi sentence him." If he died Kakashi would be the next Hokage. _Practically burning through Hokages today. _For some reason that thought struck him as funny and he laughed. _I guess shock isn't all bad._

Chouji ignored the graveyard humor in Shikamaru's eyes. "What about the nine-tails. You can't defeat it by yourself." He said, looking at Shikamaru gravely.

"Well thankfully I'm not alone. You have your orders."

Chouji gave a quick 'Hai!' and Ino-Sasuke gave a bone grinding half salute. They left him and Anko tarried. "You should get healed first." She said, the confidence in her voice melting now that they were alone. "You wont be able to mold chakra."

He closed his eyes and adjusted the shadows, inverting, weaving and lengthening. Before he'd simply stuck the claw at the end of his wrist, stopping the blood from moving at all. He winced as the shadows formed themselves into what he knew a hand should be. Firm but pliable shadows for sinew, slippery and flexible shadows for veins and chakra coils. It was long moments as he worked with the extensive knowledge of anatomy that Hinata had given him during his stint as an Anbu.

Finally he opened his eyes and Anko gasped, looking down at his hand. He raised it in front of his eyes and let the shadows fade somewhat so he could inspect his handiwork. The shadows didn't need the oxygen in his blood but the coils did. He could see blood running through the 'veins' he had created, could see where the tenketsu ended and re-solidified the shadows again.

There was no muscles in the hand so flexing it took an effort of will, not strength but with practice he would be proficient. He made a few hand symbols and the successful Kagemane melded with Anko's shadow. He kissed her and felt no resistance as her shadow made her lean forward just as he was and kissed him back.

He released the Kagemane and she opened her eyes. "What are you going to do?"

He grinned at her and rubbed the back of his neck where the Kusanagi rested. "My best. Make sure you keep Konoha marching and keep an eye on Sasuke, he's got tricks up his sleeve still I'll bet." He thought about it for a moment. "And yank out his eyes."

Anko grinned but it wasn't a friendly grin. If he had to guess he didn't think Sasuke would make it to a qualified medic nin for that particular procedure. She pinched him on the rear and then she was gone too.

He hopped up to the nearest roof and took stock of the battle. It was too far away to see much of anything in the darkness but gouts of flame, streaks of lightning and inhuman roars pointed right to it.

"Alrighty..." He said, looking down at his interim left hand. "time to outfox the fox."

Bit short but I wanted to get something out there.


	23. Chapter 23: The Maw of Madness

Chapter 23: The Maw of Madness

* * *

Shikamaru was having trouble shadowstepping far enough away to avoid the devastating attacks of the Nine-tails. His shadow, even at night, could only stretch so far and the sweeping tails and claws were further reaching by almost four times. It was only the harrying attacks of the three great summons and Jiraiya that kept him from being obliterated completely.

His plan to turn it north was working but he was personally having to lead it and he knew his chakra wouldn't hold out. His plans were rapidly becoming obsolete the longer he attacked and he could feel the Kyuubi's will crushing him down like the inevitable weight of an avalanche.

**"We'll kill you all!" **It roared, slashing at Manda, forcing the snake to coil and leap into the air. Gama Bunta used the diversion to strike a sideways blow that almost connected before the fox's claw came up and caught the blade with a clang that he felt in his feet. Eyes larger than his whole body turned to the toad and the Kyuubi's jaw cracked open.

_A man could go mad looking down that thing's gullet. _He thought, even as he lined up another attack. He was relying almost completely on the Kusanagi for his offense. While he could see no discernible damage she assured him that he was stripping away it's chakra armor. If it were anything but the Kitsune he would have already reduced the armor to nothing but the unbelievable chakra the thing was capable of was making it an endurance game.

Red flames erupted from the Kitsune's mouth, bathing the hilt of the toad's tanto in sticky fire. Gama Bunta lept back just in time but was forced to abandon the sword as he couldn't wrest it from the Kitsune's claws.

Without looking one of the tails smashed into Katsuyu and the slug exploded apart into thousands of miniatures of itself. That had been a new development, the slug's appearance on the battlefield. It could only signify that either Sakura or Shizune had joined the battle. Since neither one had shown themselves yet he tended towards thinking it was Shizune. Likely she was waiting until one of her poison attacks would have the most effect. _If poison will even harm the thing. _

**Nothing survives inside the Kyuubi but the Kyuubi. **The Kusanagi sent to him. She was never speculative, if she said something it was true. At least as far as she was concerned. She'd been wrong before but she'd never said anything that he was unsure of. He chose to take her at her word and was on the lookout for Shizune in order to warn her. As yet he'd been unable to find her.

He brought the sword around in a slash and it elongated, sweeping around in a glimmering crescent. As the weight grew and grew his shadow anchored him to the ground and his armor kept the sword from pulling his arms out of their sockets. One of the tactical advantages that they had depended on came from him. The armor that Kitsune was using was so dense that it slowed the normally lightning quick fox down considerably. So long as he kept pressure on the fox with the Kusanagi, it's physical attacks were still incredibly fast and carried a huge amount of inertia but they were avoidable, if just.

_He said, "We'll kill you." Is Naruto still in there somewhere?_ He filed the thought away, hoping that they could make use of it in the future. Jiraiya had summoned some sort of giant club and his physical appearance had changed somewhat. _Not for the better either. _Shikamaru observed but whatever he'd done it had increased his strength and speed and he put it to use, smashing the club, which looked like a giant femur capped with a swirling Rasengan, into the Kyuubi's jaw. A dangerous place to be but Shikamaru could see the reasoning behind it. There was just no other place that looked vulnerable on the fox.

His Kagemane was powerless, the Kusanagi, what he considered to be the deadliest weapon second only to his mind was largely in a support role at this point and his chakra was at about a third of it's capacity after his fight with Sasuke.

_I should have been a tailor. _He thought again, for the thousandth time. A claw came sweeping around at him and he shadowstepped, leaving an explosive tag behind. If the Kitsune even noticed as the explosion enveloped it's appendage it gave no indication.

Too late he realized that he'd been maneuvered into a trap himself. He hardened his armor just in case it might help and fell backwards. His back hit the ground and the Kusanagi shot out, spearing into the tail as it came crashing down. The two hit with a clang that rang in his teeth but the attack wasn't finished. The tail pushed inexorably down until the hilt disappeared into the forest floor. Light blossomed all around them, a bubbling red sphere of fire had appeared overhead, dispersing his shadows.

**I cannot stop it. **The Kusanagi thought quietly. She wasn't afraid nor was her tone urgent.

"Then I guess we'll be meeting soon." He said, knowing the sword would claim his soul when he died.

* * *

Sakura surveyed the battlefield. The sheer volume of information she was getting from Katsuyu had been incredibly confusing. Thousands of different visions at once, reports on different viewpoints. It had all but stunned her but she was readjusting to it. Not everything was pertinent so she skimmed to what she needed and shut out the rest. What she saw now was dismaying.

Shikamaru was in trouble. _And what's he doing with the Hokage's hat? _She'd ask about that later but she had a sinking feeling that it was his hat now. She took a spool of wire from her thigh pouch and tied the end to an arrow. In a swift movement she turned to Shikamaru and drew the fletching to her cheek. She inhaled deeply and shouted in a chakra enhanced voice, "SHIKAMARU!" She didn't wait for a response before loosing the arrow.

Something struck her in the shoulder, knocking her off balance but thankfully the arrow was already beyond her control. She turned, dropping into a fighting stance only to see Mito Guy shaking his hand and turning red in the face.

"Sorry, Sakura-chan. I didn't know it was you." He said, looking chagrined. She turned quickly back just in time to see a wall of shadow jump up from the ground and her arrow piercing it. She squinted, looking for any hint that he had taken the lifeline. She almost jumped out of her skin when he spoke from beside her. "Thanks, that was...inexorable."

She got her heart under control and looked at him. "What's the plan?"

The sword in his hand morphed into a snake that stared at her unblinkingly. She almost flinched under the gaze, then Shikamaru turned to her, the same reptilian eyes reading her and measuring. She did flinch.

"How good are you with a sword?" He asked, a gleam in his eye.

She felt the weight of a Kagemane settle over her and flinched instinctively. There was something...else that flinched as well. She could feel it, like a fly caught in her hair. Her lips started to move without her biding them.

"Just...relax." Shikamaru said, his voice strained. She let herself relax and the tremor subsided. Her mouth moved with his though no sound came out.

"You can't touch the Kusanagi and I can't use it to it's full potential. I'm loaning my body to you." The snake flashed into a sword in the Nara's hands and she felt her body react, her hands closing over something invisible.

She stared at the Kyuubi, she had little choice. "I don't now how to use a Kagemane."

He sighed, "That's...not quite as important as you'd think. I'm going to explain this to you, and since I'm the Hokage I'm swearing you to silence. If I trap someone with a Kagemane who's stronger than I am they can overpower me. When I don't try to assert my will on them they can move me about freely. I essentially become their shadow."

"There are several rules you'll need to follow. First, I don't have your muscle mass or I wouldn't need to do this. I will have to shield my hand so you don't break the rest of my fingers with your grip. So just bear in mind that each strike comes at a chakra cost. I'll hold out as long as I can but I've been battling for hours now and I'm a bit low."

She thought about this a moment. "Oh! I have a new batch of soldier pills." She dipped into her thigh pouch and heard him grunt as he mimicked her movements. The Kagemane receded and she fished a soldier pill out of the pouch and tossed it to him.

He didn't hesitate, tossing it into his mouth before spitting it back into his palm. "Sweet Kami! Did you follow a yak around all day to perfect the taste?" He smelled the now wet pill and winced again and held it out at arms length.

"It's not chocolate! It's for emergencies." She said, exasperated.

He stared at the ball in his hands, scraping his tongue off on his teeth. He looked at her dubiously and she rolled her eyes. "Would you rather die?"

He muttered something that sounded like 'almost' and tossed the pill back, dry swallowing. He shuddered visibly and took a few steps involuntarily. She offered one to Guy and he waved her off.

"Next..." He dry heaved for a second and then mastered himself. "next is that we can't let it turn towards the wagon train heading for Suna. If that means we sacrifice the village then so be it but I'd rather avoid damaging the buildings as well. The village before us, us before the people. That's our priority.

She nodded somberly.

"I'm the Hokage now, Sakura." He said, sounding annoyed with it. "I wont have time to explain to you everything that's about to happen. I know you were loyal to Tsunade and it might feel like you're betraying her by following my orders without question and after this, if we both survive I'll do my best to earn your trust but for now you'll just have to give me the benefit of the doubt and be my arm." _And we'll still probably both be dead in a few minutes. _He chose to keep that thought to himself

"Hai!" She said and saluted formaly.

His shadows closed around her and folded inward even as another shadow unfolded a few meters away, depositing her. "That's what a Kage Sochi feels like...we'll be doing quite a bit of that."

* * *

Jiraiya knew that they couldn't beat the Nine-tails. Any more than you could defeat a mountain or an avalanche. You could change the appearance of something but you could never reduce it's base self. The Nine-tails was...a threat but it was a threat they knew. If they managed to unhinge it's raw potential he shuddered to think of what new form it might take or if it would simply explode.

No, defeating it was out of the question. He'd explained it as best as he could to Shikamaru. The only way to contain the Nine-tails was to reason with it. Not in a sit down over tea setting but in order to seal it to Naruto and earlier into his mother they had had to make it feel something that was foreign to it.

Empathy.

It was why the tailed beasts tended towards rage. Empathy and circumspection made them vulnerable. It was why the beast was at it's most active in Naruto when he was angry. When they demonstrated human-like emotion they could be bound to a human. When the Jinchuuriki demonstrated inhuman-like emotion the beasts could break free.

If they could make it regret or second guess itself then he could reseal it inside his godson. It would be bound by that empathy even as Naruto was bound by his anger. Two sides of a coin. He refused to think of Naruto as lost. So long as the Nine-tails resided in him he was safe, even if the rest of the world wasn't.

_The rest of the world owes me a favor or two and Naruto even more. _No, if it was a choice between killing his godson or letting the Kyuubi rampage he'd let the rampage continue. _I've given up too much already to give him up. _

* * *

Shikamaru heard an ear splitting "Kya!" from Sakura and felt his arms sweep sideways in a less than graceful swing. If he had been fighting Sasuke like this they'd already both be dead but the good part about fighting something that was ten stories tall was that you tended not to miss.

The Kusanagi whipped around and crashed into the side of the foxes head. He saw it rock slightly to the side and was buoyed. It was the first indication that they'd even had an effect on it since he'd joined the battle. He shadowstepped them away. It took four leaps to get to the other side of the beast's head and strike again, this time in an uppercut slash to it's chin.

He had little to do other than placement and keep his shadow armor at a steady output on his hand and he reflected on how lacking their teamwork would be if she had been any other nin. Konoha stressed three man teams because they were efficient and made missions that much safer but something like this, where the whole village was at stake, teams made little impact. It was the whole that mattered and in that they were sorely behind. Iwa trained as a village so that any member could work with any other in times of crisis.

This made them less effective in small groups but much more-so as a military force. He vowed to himself that if he survived the night that he'd institute a village wide training regime in addition to the already established team drills. Anyone should be able to work with anyone else on some level with a degree of proficiency. It wouldn't be as synergistic as smaller groups but it would reduce the learning curve in an emergency such as the one they found themselves in.

**"Granny can't save you now!" **The voice boomed again.

Everything clicked into place and he discarded the plan he'd come up with. _He thinks Sakura is Tsunade...and only one person calls her Granny. _

Naruto wasn't just inside the fox, he was a part of it now. They were working together but the Kyuubi was keeping him off balance, keeping him in that inhuman rage. An anger that could only be slaked with blood and it didn't matter whose blood it was.

"Take off your helmet!" He hissed through gritted teeth. When Sakura struck she struck with her whole body including clenching her teeth. It made it almost impossible to get out instruction to her but she understood and yanked the helmet off, tearing out the straps that held it in place like they were made out of paper.

Shadows slipped off of the fox like chakra did but he didn't need a solid surface anymore, just a direction. Shadows speared upwards and he folded them into the mass, pushing as far as he could with them until the base was needle thin and in danger of breaking. He folded them out and they hung in middair a moment before plummeting again. He saw a flash of red and white before Sakura screamed in warning.

* * *

Shikamaru was never one to let his personal hangups interfere with a plan but he wondered if that was something he should reconsider.

He stood in the middle of the Kyuubi's tongue, the Kusanagi's hilt was pushed deeply into the rough surface, making a dimple in the flesh. The sword had elongated until the tip was pressed firmly against the roof of the Nine-tail's mouth.

He turned to Sakura, "Get up there and talk to him?"

"What the hell am I supposed to say to a fox?" She said, already moving to do as he'd ordered.

He watched the blade tremble, the polished surface wobbling tightly. "Talk to Naruto, he's in there, it's him we have to get to."

She nodded and bounded out of the cavernous mouth of the beast. He felt heat on his cheek and turned to see a roiling wall of flame bubbling towards him like it had been shot from a crossbow.

* * *

Jiraiya watched Sakura jumped onto the Kitsune's snout. Not a place he'd ever want to be that was for sure but apparently Shikamaru had come to the same conclusion that he had. Naruto hadn't been subjugated by the fox, he had bonded with it. That bond carried emotion both ways, the rage of the Kitsune and Naruto's own empathy were likely warring with each other.

He just needed the right push. He dared not move and signaled Gama Bunta to cease his attacks though the Toad boss was weaponless.

He couldn't hear what Sakura was saying but he could see that the Nine-tail's mouth was forced open. Flames billowed out of the beast's mouth but it didn't try to shake her off of her perch. The wind was blowing towards her and he strained to listen harder but to no avail. Whatever she was saying she was saying it quietly and calmly.

_At least he's listening. _He hoped fervently that Naruto could win the fight for supremacy. The foxes jaws clenched and unclenched, trying to close and it's snout wrinkled and smoothed with the effort. As the conversation wore on he could see that the fox was gradually relaxing. Even as he watched it was shrinking, so very slowly.

He allowed himself a little hope and released a breath he didn't realize he had been holding. Mentally he began preparing the seal in his mind that he'd use to afford Naruto some control over the fox.

He didn't notice Manda lining up an attack.

* * *

Shikamaru tried to shut out the Kusanagi's inner voice. She was screaming in agony. The Kitsune was trying to close it's mouth and she was keeping it propped open. It wouldn't stop and she couldn't break.

She wanted to break so badly. Her consciousness thrashed in a corner of his brain, like a snake that was held by it's neck. She could switch to her snake form if she chose to but she didn't.

It wasn't loyalty or even fondness for him that stopped her from it. It didn't occur to her to escape the pain. Her entire being was centered around a single concept.

**Cut.**

He held onto the blade, keeping a connection with her. He'd barely escaped the flames by hiding in the shadow behind the the blade. It had cost him almost the rest of his chakra. Normally when he shadowstepped it was nearly instant. There wasn't enough time for his mass to interfere with the shadow.

He'd stayed there for only two seconds and it had been the single most chakra intensive thing he'd ever done in his life. His legs wobbled but he stayed standing. There was one thing he was growing sure of. If Naruto was regaining control, he couldn't stay here. If Sakura wasn't reaching the Uzumaki then he was a deadman.

* * *

Lee felt more useless than when he'd failed to make a simple bunshin at the academy all those years ago. He'd done nothing to help with the battle other than not getting injured. Sakura and the Hokage were doing most of the work with Jiraiya and their summons as backup.

Still, he kept close watch of the battle and when he saw the fox calmed by Sakura's words he moved in as close as he dared. Either they were lining up a finishing strike or they thought to regain control of the Kitsune. In either case the battle was coming to a close and he didn't want anything to go wrong with it.

He was making his way towards Jiraiya when Manda attacked the Kyuubi. He heard Guy yell 'No!' and he was moving. Manda wasn't part of this particular plan. He used every bit of his speed and he almost made it before Manda had entangled himself around the Kitsune's rear legs, looping them in coils and squeezing them tight.

There was a shift in the foxes chakra and it blinked as though coming back to it's senses. Then it's jaws slammed shut. It roared in pain as the Kusanagi's tip exploded out of the top of it's snout and then the sword winked out of sight. Manda hesitated a moment and it cost him his existence on their plane. With no one distracting the Kyuubi it focused it's considerable attention on the snake.

Without moving it's head the foxes tails elongated and turned towards the snake, tip first. They speared towards the Snake boss and just before striking, Manda released it's hold and dispersed in a puff of fog.

Lee's attention was focused on the small spec that had shot out of the Kyuubi's mouth. It was at the height of a parabolic arc that would eventually intersect with a cliff face.

He knew, instinctively that it was the Hokage. Two things had gone into the foxes mouth and only one had come out. The other must be their Hokage. He darted up a small rise, releasing his ankle weights in a plume of dust and rocketed into the air. As he sped through the air he released the first two chakra gates in unison and felt his body's potential rise. When he hit the ground, even as fast as he'd been moving before he tripled in speed, leaving divuts in the earth where his feet touched. In his head he made a best guess as to where he'd have to intersect with the Hokage, who was now only moments from dashing against the rock face and lept, the ground buckling beneath him.

He turned slowly in the air until he was facing Shikamaru just as the Nara hit him. He scooped the unconscious Hokage out of the air and heard the telltale snap of bones but his aim was true and even with the Hokage's weight they cleared the top of the cliff and slid to a halt. For some reason he thought a Hokage should weigh more. He dared not close the gates again, he knew that he'd done considerable damage to his muscles already and was unsure if he'd make it back down the cliff face with the Hokage if he did.

He didn't have anything but the most cursory of medical training but he could tell that the man was injured and would need medical attention. The beautiful and kind Sakura was already on the battlefield, if a little busy so he set the Hokage down and used a red flare to mark their position.

She'd come when she could, until then he'd keep watch.

* * *

Shikamaru woke quickly and groaned. He could feel where his ribs had broken but breathing wasn't quite as difficult as it had been.

"How long have I been out?" He asked, his voice raw. He didn't even know where he was but the fact that he was still alive pointed to a favorable outcome to the battle.

Sakura spoke, hurrying to his side. "Just a few hours, Hokage-sama."

"The Nine-tails?" He asked, blinking away the haze in his vision.

"Sealed again." This came from Jiraiya who was smoking a pipe at the periphery of his vision.

He felt the familiar pressure of the Kusanagi around his neck. "Get me on my feet. Is Mito Guy still here?"

Hands lifted him from under his arms and set him on his feet. He turned and saw Rock Lee grinning at him. "He went to inform Kakashi that the village is safe." Shikamaru frowned and the Guy clone's smile faltered.

"How long ago?" He asked, fearing the answer.

Rock Lee thought about it for a moment. "About two hours ago, Hokage-sama."

It wasn't as bad as he thought but he wished he'd had a bit more time to recover. "Lee..." He started and spun around. The chunin was grabbing his hat for him. He took it and patted the man on the shoulder. "Thanks. We're about the same size. I need a fresh change of clothes from the tower. Hokage robes and a fresh hat." He thought for a moment. "Bring those and that dog to the west gate."

His stomach rumbled and he yelled after Lee who was already running. "And a few ration bars!"

He turned to the others, "All of you get cleaned up, you've got an hour and then meet at the west gate as well." He caught sight of Naruto who looked as dejected as he'd ever seen him. "Naruto, come here. You too Jiraiya."

Jiraiya stared at him, his eyebrows drawing downwards. "I'm retired, don't try ordering me around or I'll paddle your ass."

Shikamaru ignored him. "This battle is classified, if anyone asks we stopped a tailed beast from destroying the village. We believe it was due to the actions of Oto and the nin responsible was killed in the attack. You will both, in due time, submit written reports corroborating that story."

"I almost destroyed the village." Naruto said, looking on the verge of tears.

Shikamaru chuckled but not unkindly. "I robbed my entire clan blind when Choji was hurt, Naruto. I think we both need to learn how to channel our energy better when the people we care about are hurt."

"To that end I'm placing you on special training. I want you to learn to control the Kyuubi." He said, ignoring the incredulous look he got for that particular statement.

Naruto threw up his hands, "I can't control it, I can't even control myself!"

Shikamaru shook his head at this. "I saw you control it. I saw you stop a tailed beast from destroying the village. Sakura helped you through it but I believe that in time you could learn to control it yourself and with eight other beasts out there...well it would be nice to have one in our corner."

Naruto looked suspicious for a moment and Jiraiya clapped him on the shoulder. "I think I know someone that could help."

He didn't bother to ask who, he didn't care. So long as it was accomplished. "You two get cleaned up as well. In two days I want you to arrive at my office and report back on the mission to track Sasuke as a failure. Arrive by one of the gates and be seen by plenty of people. I don't want anyone thinking you two were anywhere near Konoha when this happened." He looked at Jiraiya whos eyebrows were drawing down again and he muttered a quick, "Please." and the man nodded, smiling again.

He watched them leave and then touched his ribs tentatively, wincing at the sharp pain. He was desperate for some sleep and a bucket of food but he couldn't be seen as weak after he'd declared martial law and sent the village on a forced march west. No, when they returned, with the council he'd be bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.

It took him the better part of an hour to make his way to the west gate. He walked at a steady pace but had to stop to catch his breath a few times. When the Kyuubi's jaws had finally clamped down the Kusanagi had reverted to her snake form in a flash. There had been so much pressure on her that her body, when it folded as a snake, had struck him in the chest and sent him careening out of the Kyuubi's mouth. More luck than anything else and it was also luck that his shadow armor had held. If it hadn't he'd have been cut in half. Even as it was he'd broken what felt like five ribs and he doubted that he'd escaped without internal bleeding.

It was likely only Sakura's skill that had kept him from dying at all. As he arrived Sakura helped him wash his face and hands. She combed his hair as he couldn't lift his arms without doubling over in pain and rechecked her handiwork.

"You'll have to rest soon, Hokage-sama." She said, not wanting to order him to bed but more than willing to do it if he didn't relent soon.

"I promise I'll sleep for two days after this. We just have to make sure the village sees it's shinobi as strong. I probably scared them half to death, making them pack up and leave so fast." She nodded and they spoke no more on it.

He explained the classification of the mission to both her and Rock lee and they nodded in understanding. Both liked Naruto and he didn't doubt that they'd keep the secret. He knew that he was manipulating Naruto into a position to be a weapon for Konoha but at the moment he felt like the good was finally outweighing the bad. He could save Naruto from being ostracized and also get what he wanted.

It was a win win but it still made him feel like a bastard.

He wasn't worried about Guy saying anything about the battle. At least not to the general public. Mission details were always kept in secret until a debriefing could be had and since he was the one they had to inform, he could control the information flow to the public.

He ate two ration bars and checked his appearance in a store window. He had bags under his eyes but otherwise looked fine. He was dozing lightly when the advanced guard arrived at the gates. He had placed Lee on guard and the older nin nudged him awake with an elbow.

He had had to abandon his shadow armor, he just didn't have the chakra left to stand up and be protected so he'd made Lee his personal guard until the anbu returned. It felt a little presumptious to have a personal guard force now but he understood, intellectually the need for it. It was still embarassing ordering Lee into the position though.

_Yet another reason why Kakashi should be wearing the mantle._ He thought acidly. He wouldn't mind ordering a personal guard.

Anbu appeared from...somewhere and began a series of questions and answers that were designed to verify his identity. They needn't have though, Neji had returned with the advanced guard and confirmed his identity for them. He still had to answer the stupid questions though, some about his personal life, some about his missions and a few even that he was supposed to answer inaccurately.

After five minutes of that they finally called a halt to it, satisfied that he was who he appeared to be. They gave him a brief rundown on the village and the time frame for their return. He had about a half an hour before the bulk of the village returned. He began issuing orders, setting people into movement. After a while it all blurred together. He restarted the Konoha patrol with the anbu he had at his disposal, placed guards on the larger shops and the two banks to prevent looting.

He didn't have the manpower to clean up the worst of the rubble but the area around the gate was swept free of glass and dust. As they returned he wasn't sure what he'd expected of the villagers but there was little enough of any reaction. A few ducked their heads as he passed him, a few let out half-hearted cheers but for the most part they didn't have a clue what had happened. They just knew they'd been rousted from their homes and set on a march to what had once been an at-war nation with nothing but what they could carry on their backs.

A few even gave him dirty looks. _Better get used to those. _He began to doubt why he was even there. He didn't expect blind trust from anyone. A nation full of blind believers was what Orochimaru had. Would have been nice to get a pat on the back though. He took a deep breath and winced as his broken ribs rebelled at the movement.

"Seito!" He heard a high-pitched voice yell and he turned to see Fuyumi running full tilt towards her dog who jumped away from Lee and ran to her as well. They met in a flurry of hugs and licking until she began scolding him for running off. He took this dutifully and Shikamaru found himself grinning.

Fuyumi put a leash on her dog and trotted up to Shikamaru boldly. "Thanks old man!"

He sighed, "That's Shikamaru, brat."

"Don't call me a brat!"

"Don't call me old man." He said, looking annoyed but feeling a bit better about the situation. Of all the things he'd done that day, finding a stupid dog was proving the most rewarding.

_Maybe that's what it's about at the end of the day. Finding the little things that you can count as a win. _

He reached down to pet the dog and it's hackles went up and it began growling. He pulled his hand back and she stuck out her tongue at him before running back to her class.

"The Hokage took on a D-rank mission from an academy student?" This came from Temari who was grinning at him. He winced as 'Hyakki' fell to the ground next to him. The Suna nin rolled her eyes. "If you're going to behave like then the mask is pretty worthless, Anko."

Gaara who was ignoring the exchange turned to Temari sharply and spoke quietly to her. He couldn't hear what he said but she blushed hotly and didn't meet his eye. Anko's mask came up and she too was blushing. "Come on, I'll find you some quarters."

The two women left and he hoped that the quarters would survive them being in the same room together. Gaara bowed slightly to him and he returned it. If he had met the Kage in his own village he would have been the first to bow. "We came as soon as we felt it." He said quietly. "It appears as though we are not needed, however."

Shikamaru was on unfamiliar ground now. He was saved when Hinata, still in her anbu 'Neko' mask appeared next to him. "I will have tea prepared in your office, Hokage-sama."

* * *

Neji could see that Shikamaru was ready to collapse but said nothing as the Nara led Gaara of the sand to his office for tea. He knew about ceremony, it was central to the traditions of the Hyuga clan. Without ceremony, you couldn't honor your guests. Ceremony wouldn't survive him passing out though.

There was nothing he could do about it, however and instead tried to find Jiraiya. The Sanin was known to be an expert in seals and he wanted to bounce a few ideas off of the man regarding the seal on his head. That was something he allowed himself to feel hopeful for. He recalled the battle between his cousins.

_Hinata bowed very slightly to Hanabi who had already taken up the sash of the Hyuga. It was a formality that Hiashi had never had to observe. Everyone knew that he was clan leader, he didn't need a symbol to announce it. With Hinata the eldest, Hanabi had felt it important to show that she was asserting control over her sister. _

_"Remove the sash, Hanabi." Hinata said, straightening from her bow. Her hands were clasped in front of her demurely and her tone was soft but direct. "I am the clan head now."_

_They had vied for their fathers attention their whole lives, Hinata had tried to form an emotional attachment, Hanabi had simply been the better fighter. Though Neji suspected that Hinata could have asserted control over the clan even from Hiashi had she wanted to._

_"The clan head should be the strongest member of the main branch, Hinata. You've ever been my inferior in this, don't push the issue." Hanabi said, looking somewhat confused. Confused for a Hyuga at any rate, Neji was barely able to pick it up without his Byakugan up. _

_Hinata shook his head. "Physical prowess should not be the defining attribute of a clan head, Hanabi. In that we are at odds. I've always felt that was a...poor way of choosing a leader. It stems from the belief that with experience comes wisdom. In many cases this tends to be true but relying on it as the sole deciding factor in leadership is foolish."_

_Hanabi listened politely and shook her head. "This is tradition, Hinata. We will not eschew tradition that reaches farther back than Konoha itself."_

_"And that is the problem I've struggled with for years. Ano...I must appologize. In trying to change our father's mind in this, I've deceived you slightly. I'd always hoped that he'd find it within himself to break with false tradition and I tried to use my relationship with him as the fulcrum for that change." She paused and bowed again, deeper this time, her eyes stayed on the ground as she spoke. "In this I failed. My only success was in the deception, not his enlightenment. You're own perception of me was a side effect that I both regret and cherish. He was very proud of you, Hanabi. I'm grateful that you were able to enjoy his approval. It's something I've longed to indulge in."_

_She straightened and Neji could see tears brimming in her eyes. "But I will not allow a continuation of flawed ideals and I cannot allow you to continue under the false presumption that I am the weaker of us."_

_She flowed into a stance that Neji didn't recognize and Hanabi stepped forward. He kneeled in front of them and placed his forehead to the ground. Branch clan members weren't allowed to observe true fights between main clan members but Hinata spoke before he was settled. "I wish Neji to see this, sister. Allow him to watch." _

_Hanabi hesitated and Hinata spoke again. "It will be your last command as clan leader, make it one of compassion." _

_Hanabi nodded, looking entirely unsure of the situation now but there was something else in her stance. Neji recognized it as hope. He activated his Byakugan and was still barely able to follow what happened next. Hanabi removed the sash and folded it neatly, placing it on what had been her father's cushion and then turned to her sister. Both bowed formally to each other and flowed to the center of the room. _

_Hinata used no techniques other than gentle-fist and she handled her sister as easily as Hiashi ever had but where Hiashi was efficient and cold, hitting whatever tenketsu was easiest, Hinata only hit two. They were in Hanabi's wrists and effectively stopped her use of gentle-fist but Neji knew, from personal experience, that they also hurt the least to have closed. Just like that it was over. _

_Hanabi's hands dangled limply from her wrists as she hugged her older sister and Neji heard a quiet, "Thank kami." _

One of Hinata's first acts as clan head had been to call a halt to the branding. There was no one of a branding age at the moment so the decision was largely ceremonial but it called a halt to a tradition that had been in effect since the founding of the clan.

He intended to take that a step further and remove the brands already in place. He didn't exactly have her permission in this but it was better to ask for forgiveness than beg for permission and since she'd outlawed the use of the brand, there was no chance that people released from it would be re-branded. Hiashi simply would have rebranded the branch clan if they'd found a way to remove it. He didn't think Hinata would have him executed but neither did that effect his decision. He would live or die as a free man.

Unfortunately, Jiraiya was nowhere to be found and asking after him got him a stern talking to from an Anbu he didn't recognize. "Jiraiya is on an extended mission and hasn't been seen in three days. He took Uzumaki Naruto with them and they are due back soon." This wasn't delivered in an informational tone and Neji took it to mean that the truth was being commanded.

He could wait. He'd waited most of his life.

* * *

Anko's head was propped on her hand and beneath her mask she wore a bored expression. She'd been watching the tea party for fifteen minutes now and already she was ready to start jamming her kunai into her thigh just for a bit of excitement. She heard a soft snoring sound and stifled a giggle.

Gaara stood quietly as Shikamaru snored, still sitting up but slightly slumped. Kankuro started to laugh and Garaa silenced him with a shushing gesture and they made their way out of the room quietly. Gaara was silent wherever he went but she saw him trying to be doubly so and thanked him in the back of her mind. Kakashi and the chunin outside the door would see to it they were led to where she'd housed Temari, _THE COW!_

She made a few hand symbols to Baku who gave her his own symbol in response and she threw a kunai at him, he snatched it out of the air and stuck it in his pocket and gave her the finger again. Rather than lose another kunai, she ignored him. After making sure the Kusanagi was safely a sword she half carried and half dragged Shikamaru into a side room with a small cot and put him to bed.

Everyone saw the anbu as a faceless mask of dignity and efficiency. It was more like a fraternity for the elite. The masks, she suspected, were so that no one could see them sticking out their tongues at each other. She'd never felt more at home than with the anbu squads. They were almost all as foul mouthed, cantankerous and fun loving as she was. Ibiki, when he'd been one, had been a legend among them. He'd never had the disposition for killing but he could curse a blue streak, out-drink any two other members and had personally socked two Hokage's right in the jaw when they got out of line.

It was past dawn now and she wasn't tired so she grabbed a book and sat down next to the cot to read in the wane light.

"If you weren't such an idiot I could be up to my tits in assassinations." She said, but she muttered it quietly so as not to wake him. She heard Baku snort in laughter and resisted the urge to throw something a bit more permanent at him.

* * *

Enjoy,

Dave

P.S.-I'm being a little less rigid with my chapters, stopping them when it seems appropriate etc. I'll keep trying to make them largish...I hate when people post 200 tiny chapters just so they're at the top of the list all the time but I'm not as worried as I was about them being 10k plus words. The story is still ongoing and I'll be sure to wrap it up before I take another year + long break from it. Thanks again.


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